From January to June, there were 281 fleeing driver events in the area.
The staggering figure is more than double the next highest area, Manawatu, which had 135 pursuit events in this period.
If the trend continues, 2019 is likely to surpass last year’s total in the Canterbury metro area of 400 fleeing driver incidents.
Hawkes Bay was the third highest with 110 pursuits in the first six months of the year.
The number of pursuit abandonments also remains high with Canterbury metro having 213 from January to June, while Manawatu had 88 and Hawkes Bay had 70.
Canterbury metro also had 35 fleeing driver crashes from January to June, Manawatu had 13 and Hawkes Bay had 18.
In January, Glen Mcallister, 16, Craig Mcallister, 13, and Brooklyn Taylor, 13, died when the stolen vehicle they were in crashed while they were fleeing police on Blenheim Rd. There have been no further fleeing driver deaths in the Canterbury metro area since this incident.
However, in May an early morning police chase in Aranui ended with a dramatic crash involving a police vehicle.
The driver of a vehicle failed to stop for police about 3.30am and was pursued for about
10min before the chase was abandoned due to the manner of driving.
Soon after, the vehicle crashed head-on into another police car, which was travelling to an unrelated incident at the intersection of Pages Rd and Rowan Ave.
In March, a review of police pursuits, conducted by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, was released. It defended the current strategy to deal with fleeing drivers.
It ruled the policy “can provide the necessary balance between public safety and public protection.” However, it made eight recommendations to “enhance police understanding” of the rules around pursuits.
Fleeing driver incidents by region from January to June
1. Canterbury metro: 281
2. Central Manawatu: 135
3. Hawkes Bay: 110
4. Counties Manakau: 90
5. Bay of Plenty-Rotorua: 88
