Police officer should have been charged for driving over 160kmh, IPCA says

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

The police watchdog says a police officer who drove more than 80kmh over the speed limit in pursuit of a fleeing driver should have been charged.

In a statement, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) said a criminal investigation should have been undertaken, as the officer could have been convicted for dangerous driving. 

The IPCA oversaw a police investigation into the officer's driving, which surrounded an abandoned pursuit in Auckland in August 2017.  

Despite the pursuit being abandoned as the police Eagle helicopter was able to monitor the fleeing driver, the officer continued to drive at speed in order to get into a position where he could lay road spikes.

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While doing so, he drove more than 160kmh in an 80kmh area, a police employment investigation found. 

The officer was disciplined as he continued to pursue the fleeing driver when the risks were too high, the IPCA statement said. 

'The authority did not agree with the police decision to deal with the matter as it did and advised police that in the authority's view the officer should have been charged.'