Fleeing driver events

Yes. Pursuing fleeing drivers can put lives at risk of serious injury or death. That is why our response to drivers who choose to flee needs to be appropriate and proportionate for the level of risk they pose and is as safe as possible.

A fleeing driver is a driver who has been signalled to stop by a constable but fails to stop or remain stopped, or a driver who flees as a result of Police presence, whether signalled to stop or not.

A fleeing driver event starts when a driver who is signalled to stop by Police fails to do so and ends when we close the investigation.

While Police can’t control the behaviour of a fleeing driver, we can choose to respond in a manner that is appropriate and proportionate to the level of offending, and that maximises safety for all road users.

The number of fleeing driver events fell over May-December 2020 and went up moderately in January 2021.

This information is not held.

We need to ensure our response to drivers who choose to flee is appropriate and proportionate to the level of risk they pose and is as safe as possible. Before pursuing a fleeing driver we consider the safety of the public, vehicle occupants, and Police.

Where there is deemed to be no immediate need to stop a driver who has failed to stop or remain stopped for Police, a follow up investigation is preferred over the commencement of a pursuit.

The fleeing driver policy prioritises safety over the immediate apprehension of a fleeing driver.

When a fleeing driver is not apprehended, Police officers will follow up investigations utilising CCTV, witnesses, avenues of enquiry, officer knowledge and basic Police work to identify the vehicle and the driver so they can be held to account.

Prior to the release of the revised fleeing driver policy in 2020, thirty percent of fleeing driver events were resolved by investigation without risk to the public, vehicle occupants and Police.

Wellington Police District has a road policing team dedicated to following up fleeing drivers, illegal street racing, and drivers who repeatedly commit other high-risk driving offences.

In January 2021 Wellington Police District staff encountered 46 fleeing driver events. Two pursuits started but were quickly abandoned. The remaining 44 were not pursued as the risk posed by the fleeing driver event did not outweigh the risk of pursuit. Nineteen of these have been resolved with vehicle impoundment or arrest (43 percent), 14 have no avenues of enquiry (10 being motorcycles), and 11 are still under investigation (40 percent).

Seventy percent of officers have completed Fleeing Driver Online Learning with the aim to have 100 percent completion by June 2021. Police will continue to work with all staff to ensure the safer approach to fleeing drivers is properly implemented.

The message to all drivers is we want a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes. Follow up investigations have proven successful so although we may not apprehend a fleeing driver immediately, we will, in order to hold fleeing drivers to account.

Police revised the fleeing driver policy in 2020. It was previously revised in 2016.

Our focus is on making our roads safer. The revised fleeing driver policy is intended to reduce the risk of serious injury or death occurring during active pursuits. A fleeing driver event can have significant and sometimes horrific consequences for the driver, their family and friends, the public and Police staff. Therefore, we need to ensure our response to drivers who choose to flee is appropriate and proportionate to the level of risk they pose and is as safe as possible.

Our prevention first operating model aims to prevent crime before it happens, ultimately making New Zealand the safest country. We work with partners such as Iwi, community organisations and other government agencies to take every opportunity to prevent harm and reoffending.

Police is not currently considering the purchase of additional helicopters.