Christchurch boy racers targeted by police: Eight ‘skid meets’ interrupted

Cars were impounded when police cracked down on eight boy racer meets in Christchurch and Rolleston. Photo / New Zealand Police

Canterbury police have gone after boy racers, interrupting eight “skid meets” over the long weekend so far.

Police interrupted six events in Christchurch and two in Rolleston on Thursday night where more than 100 cars were involved.

Officers impounded three vehicles for sustained loss of traction and issued 18 infringement notices to other drivers, Inspector Craig Scott said.

A further two cars were issued green stickers for compliance issues and another was deemed unsafe and given a pink sticker, meaning it cannot be driven.

Scott said last night’s operation proved police were taking action against boy racers’ unwelcome activity within the community.

“We have seen too many instances where this illegal behaviour has put lives at risk, caused injury and created unrest in our communities,” Scott said.

Officers impounded three vehicles for sustained loss of traction and issued 18 infringement notices to other drivers. Photo / New Zealand Police

“The results of last night’s operation in Canterbury show that we’re pushing back on this unwanted activity.

“Antisocial road users aren’t welcome on our roads. We don’t want them or the damage they cause. We’re not standing for it.

“Canterbury police will have a much larger presence on the roads from tonight.”

He asked any member of the public who saw illegal activity to call 111.

Tip-offs from the public played a key part in helping police track boy racers’ movements.

Cars were impounded when police cracked down on eight boy racer meets in Christchurch and Rolleston. Photo / New Zealand Police

Cars were impounded when police cracked down on eight boy racer meets in Christchurch and Rolleston. Photo / New Zealand Police

“We’re asking the community for as much information as possible about these anti-social gatherings,” Scott said.

He said police wanted details of cars, licence plate numbers and what streets they were on. But he said people should not put themselves at risk to get such information.

“And please, do not take matters into your own hands.”

He said people should phone 111 if the incident was ongoing, call 105 after the fact, and call 0800 555 111 if they wanted to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, in the North Island, police had deployed the Eagle helicopter to disrupt boy racers around the mid to lower regions of the island.

It comes after a large, violent boy racer event in Levin on June 1. Two police officers were injured after being pelted with rocks, bottles and bricks. More than 200 cars were gathered.

Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables said the Eagle allowed police to respond quickly to any possible meet-ups and relay real-time information to staff on the ground.

“Our Eagle team’s ability to capture visual evidence will also be an important part of our investigation phase.

“Eagle is highly effective and one of our best tools available to target this type of behaviour. If you hear the helicopter overhead, please don’t be alarmed - we hope you will be reassured that we are taking action against illegal activity in your community,” Venables said.

“We ask the public to be patient with us as we work across the weekend.”