'Idiots' fuel fatal pursuits - top cop

Some offenders believe they can force police to abandon chases by driving dangerously. Photo / Alan Gibson

When police made it known publicly several years ago that they would abandon pursuits if they became too dangerous, it played right into the hands of the "baddies".

At least, that's the view of a senior cop who has seen the carnage caused by drivers who know they can get away from police simply by putting the foot on the accelerator.

Twelve people have died this year because of a driver's split-second decision to flee police. Ten were killed during an active chase: five were drivers, three were passengers in the fleeing vehicle and two were innocent motorists.

Inspector Malcolm Johnston from Christchurch, the scene of two fatal pursuits in the past two months, said people fled police for one simple reason.

"It started about 12 years ago when the media started highlighting that people had died as the result of police chases. As a result, police devised and designed a pursuit policy," he said. "Rightly or wrongly, this policy was disclosed to everyone."

Things deteriorated when "the baddies" realised police would be forced to abandon pursuits if they drove like "idiots".

"When I first started as a cop in Auckland I had one car chase in my first three years. Cops now have five or six chases in their first year alone. There has been a real escalation in pursuits."

Offenders often read the law back to police after a pursuit. "On a number of occasions the offender has crashed their car and jumped out absolutely ranting and raving at police saying, 'You should have pulled out, I was doing 150km/h.' They honestly think that we have to abandon a pursuit if they go that fast. That attitude is getting worse and worse."

Johnston was at the scene of the latest horrific smash, which claimed the lives of Christchurch friends Norman Fitt, 73, and Deidre Jordan, 67.

Phillip Bruce Bannan, 22, a disqualified driver who had been suspected of drinking, has been charged. He was allegedly fleeing police.

Johnston said police were often blamed for car chase deaths. "It's very frustrating - in fact, devastating - for the staff involved. I just think you need to blame these idiots that run and crash. They are the ones doing it, it's not police forcing them. All they've got to do is pull over and stop.

"We shouldn't be calling them police pursuits any more.We need to put the negative connotation back on the person causing the pursuit, and that's the fleeing driver."

Criminologist Greg Newbold said most people who fled police were males in their teens and 20s. "It's always young silly guys who aren't that bright."

Fleeing was more about feeding their own ego. "They zoom off and think they are going to be heroes ... In an alcohol-induced state there is no chance of them getting away. If they were sober they'd realise they're making a dumb choice."

A tragic roll of the dice

Twelve people have died after motorists fled police this year.

January 13
Auto-electrician Leith Barnes, 38, from near Timaru, died after the 900cc Honda Hornet street bike he had rebuilt crashed down a bank in Wellington. He had fled when police spotted him speeding. The chase lasted about two minutes.

February 20
The name of motorcyclist Chase Buckton, 23, carries a dark irony. He died in a high-speed pursuit in Picton. His mother, Patricia Neary, was riding pillion and was seriously injured. A police officer had seen him travelling at speed on the centre line of the road. The pursuit lasted less than 40 seconds.

February 21
Ricky Forbes, 35, of Invercargill, died when his cousin, driving a Subaru WRX, fled police and smashed through a fence and into a tree. The pursuit, which lasted about a minute, began when police saw Danny Forbes, 26, doing burnouts near Murchison. Danny was sentenced to four years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for seven years for the manslaughter of his cousin.

March 19
Penelope Phillips, 51, died when her car was hit by a drunk driver fleeing a police checkpoint in Blenheim. After a positive breath test, Frances Stubbs, 20, refused an evidential test and drove off. Stubbs slammed into Phillips' car at a roundabout.

March 27
Israel Porter, 27, of Gordonton, was being chased by police before his Mazda 323 crashed into a van. During the two-minute pursuit. Porter reached speeds exceeding 100km/h in an 80km/h zone. Police abandoned the pursuit moments before Porter crashed and died.

April 19
Paul Brown, 38, of Huntly, died when his motorbike collided with a police patrol car making a three-point turn to chase a ute near Te Kauwhata. Brown's friend Carl Jackson later told police he had been driving the ute. Police said they had clocked his ute going 154km/h.

June 20
Troy MacKay, 22, died and two passengers were injured after a pursuit in Christchurch. MacKay was seen driving erratically. Police said he was weaving between lanes and traffic at speed before he struck a traffic island, became airborne and hit a tree. The pursuit lasted just over two minutes.

July 10
Shannon Smiler-O'Connor, 26, died when the car in which he was a front-seat passenger crashed into a power pole in central Christchurch. Police said a patrol car had stopped the vehicle for a routine check, but the car sped away as officers approached. Police chased the vehicle for a few streets before finding the vehicle smashed into the pole. Driver Tama Dobson, 27, and another passenger, Kaleane Magon, 20, died later in hospital.

August 26
Deidre Jordan, 67, and Norm Fitt, 73, died when Phillip Bannan allegedly ran a red light while fleeing police and collided with their car. Police said Bannan, 22, was speeding and a disqualified driver.