Christchurch police arrest three youths after cyclist seriously injured in crash

A cyclist was hit by a suspected stolen car on Centaurus Rd, in the Christchurch suburb of St Martins, at 6.20pm on Tuesday and was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Photo / NZME

Christchurch police arrested three youths after a crash seriously injured a cyclist on Tuesday evening, as authorities blame peer pressure, social media fame and money for a recent spate of youth offending.

The cyclist was hit by a suspected stolen car on Centaurus Rd, in the Christchurch suburb of St Martins, at 6.20pm on Tuesday. The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police were following positive lines of inquiry to find a fourth person in relation to the incident.

Metro Commander, Christchurch Superintendent Lane Todd said no other youth offending incidents had been reported overnight.

"There continues to be a small portion of young people repeatedly offending and inflicting a large amount of harm, often at more than one location," Todd said.

He said the causes of the offending were complex. "The best solutions require multiple agencies, including police, to work together to find alternative resolutions."

Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Justice were being supported by police to address the causes behind the offending.

"Police continue to focus on preventing offending, whether car theft, traffic offences, burglaries and/or assaults," Todd said.

Police understood the "vast majority" of young offenders had been involved in family harm and were either victims or witnesses of violence from a young age.

"Their motivation continues to be money, peer pressure and/or social media fame. Many are not engaged in education and attendance at school is irregular or difficult to determine," Todd said.

He reiterated the vehicles previously reported as being commonly stolen included Toyota Aquas, Nissan Tiidas, Mazda Demios and Mazda Atenzas.

"Owners of these vehicles are asked to take extra precautions to keep their vehicles safe.

"This includes simple things such as purchasing a steering wheel lock, removing valuable items, locking your vehicle and parking it in a garage or driveway. If people need support around this, please contact your local Police station for further advice."