Two weeks ago you may have read about our staff searching for a fleeing driver on foot around Lake Rotoaira south of Tūrangi after they failed to stop for our highway patrol staff on the Desert Rd.
After a large team effort including police staff from Rotorua, Tūrangi,Waiouru and Highway Patrol, a couple who fled from this vehicle were tracked by our dog handler and apprehended.
The result of this was a stolen vehicle, trailer and quad bike were recovered. Other offences committed by one of these two, including a ram raid in another town, are now before the court and in the process of being resolved for their victims.
This sparked memories of a similar situation five years ago when two young people fled from police on Tree Trunk Gorge Rd and died from hypothermia after getting lost in dense manuka.
How this unfolded provides an insight into the complexity of fleeing driver situations. There are many risks and, of course, as police we take a broad approach to duty of care, and consider other road users, our staff and those we are pursuing.
Often we move to an investigation phase early on for safety reasons and at times there is some commentary around our decision-making for doing that. However, our collective safety comes first. Equally, when we have the opportunity to utilise our skills and experience, those who flee will find that we are determined and tenacious.
For example, this couple met our dog team after fleeing on foot for over two hours. If we can do it safely, then the long arm of the law, or in this case a tracking paw, will do its thing.
Nothing is worth fleeing police for. Sometimes the response will be a dog team, other times our uniform staff or detectives will find you another day.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the decision-making and professionalism of our staff involved at Lake Rotoaira, and especially our dog handler for never giving up. I know the resolution of the crimes that one of these persons had committed in particular, is very important to the victims affected by this offending.
Have a safe week and remember if you see our staff in the rear-vision mirror and they have activated the blue and red lights: indicate, pull over and pause. Thank you for your assistance and support.
