Rotorua Police area prevention manager Brendon Keenan. Photo/File
Rotorua Police area prevention manager Brendon Keenan. Photo/File
I support the Rotorua Police's response to the Automobile Association's call to ban police pursuits.
They say there needs to be balance.
Rotorua Police area prevention manager Brendon Keenan says: "The public have a trust and confidence that they're safe on the road, but also, they need to have atrust and confidence in our ability to apprehend people."
Police must always be viewed as authoritative and their position must be respected.
To not pursue fleeing drivers is to give crims carte blanche to run away leading to more idiots getting away scot-free with their reckless actions.
As New Zealand Police Association regional director Scott Thompson says in our story today on page 5, police are caught between a rock and a hard place.
He says it is not something police take lightly and at the end of the day there isn't an exact solution to the problem.
"Unfortunately people still die when they're not in pursuit. But how many additional people would die if we don't stop these drivers before they kill someone."