Police officers ignored instructions to abandon a chase and disregarded important rules when laying road spikes during a pursuit in which an officer was seriously injured on Auckland's North Shore, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found.
The IPCA today released its report into the chase, which saw a suspect's vehicle go through road spikes, striking the 23-year-old male officer laying them, before eventually driving 8km and off the end of Beach Haven Rd and onto mudflats in March last year.
IPCA chairwoman Justice Lowell Goddard said there were multiple breaches of pursuit policy by three police officers and the pursuit controller.
The chase began in the suburb of Albany when a police dog handler noticed the occupants of a stolen Ford Fairlane behaving suspiciously.
The controller at the northern communications centre twice ordered the chase abandoned but the instructions were not heeded.
Two officers laid road spikes at the intersection of Fred Thomas Dr and Esmonde Rd, near the start of the motorway on-ramp.
The driver ran over the spikes and swerved towards and struck the police constable, who had deployed them, at about 60kmh. The officer suffered mild traumatic brain injury, a dental injury, and cuts, grazes and bruises.
Justice Goddard said the officer's choice of location did not provide him with cover and he was not wearing a reflectorised jacket, both of which are required by police policy.
About 30 seconds after the officer was struck, the pursuit controller again ordered the pursuit to be abandoned. The dog handler acknowledged the order but did not obey it, and another patrol car also joined the pursuit.
The driver of the stolen car, Sheean Heta, 23, continued driving despite losing a wheel on Akoranga Dr, and about four minutes later he drove off the Beach Haven wharf and into a tidal estuary.
Heta was later convicted on numerous charges and sentenced to seven years and one month imprisonment.
He later told police he hit the officer because he was "high on meth" and his passengers told him to drive into the officer.
Justice Goddard said the authority reached the following conclusions:
* there were several significant breaches of police policy. In particular -- on two occasions, contrary to direct instructions, the pursuit was not abandoned; and important rules governing the use of road spikes were disregarded;
* The dog handler's failures to comply with instructions to abandon the pursuit were unjustified; Officers' failure to position and deploy road spikes according to policy was undesirable; and the pursuit controller's failure to take firm command and control of the situation was undesirable.
The IPCA said police had recommended the three officers be given refresher training and a refresher training package for the stinger spikes be included as part of the Police Professional Driver Programme.
Waitemata police district commander Superintendent Bill Searle said today the injured officer had recovered and returned to full duties.
He acknowledged and accepted the IPCA findings that there were multiple breaches of police pursuit policy.
The IPCA recommendations, which included internal performance measures against several of the officers who took part in the pursuit, were being acted on.
"While the police agree that the uncoordinated actions of the police staff were a factor, it is important to remember that it was the actions of the fleeing driver that ultimately caused the sequence of events," Mr Searle said.
