Police at fault in pursuit crash

Two officers were not found justified in starting the pursuit. Photo / Supplied

Police say there is always the risk of their adrenalin taking over in a car chase, after misconduct by two officers in a pursuit that ended with an innocent woman being severely injured.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) found that two police officers in an unmarked car should never have pursued Thomas Hancy, then 18, through a busy part of central Christchurch at speeds of about 100km/h.

Hancy's car ran a red light and struck a vehicle being driven by 24-year-old Laura Henry.

Ms Henry, who was in the car with her partner and 5-year-old daughter, suffered head injuries so serious that it was thought she would die.

She had surgery to remove part of her skull and relieve pressure on her brain, and was put into a medically induced coma while also recovering from other serious injuries, including broken ribs.

She remained in hospital for two-and-a-half months and has still not recovered from her injuries. Her partner and daughter suffered less serious injuries.

Hancy, out of jail for just 23 days after serving a sentence for fleeing police and drink-driving, reached speeds of up to 108km/h in a 50km/h speed zone and had driven on the wrong side of the road before crashing into Ms Henry's car on December 5, 2008.

The two officers had been told by a communications officer to abandon the chase if there was an "unjustified risk to any person". One of them later said they were travelling at 100km/h and vehicle and pedestrian traffic was getting heavier.

The IPCA found the primary reason for the crash was Hancy's reckless driving, but the officers were not justified in starting the pursuit as they had failed to consider the risks, and should have abandoned it during the chase.

"In the authority's view, the actions of the officers amounted to misconduct," said IPCA chairwoman, Justice Lowell Goddard.

Canterbury police district commander, Superintendent Dave Cliff accepted the findings, but said pursuits like this unfolded very quickly.

"The biggest risk we face is that the speed of the incident, and the adrenalin involved in pursuing an offender and trying to stop them, doesn't take over," he said.

"It is important to note that while these constables made serious errors, they were both deeply affected by the crash and its outcome. The fact that innocent people were injured was of enormous concern to them both and they deeply regret what occurred."