Lockdown doesn't put brakes on fleeing drivers

Police pursuits have not decreased in Canterbury in spite of the lockdown. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Police pursuits have not decreased in Canterbury in spite of the lockdown. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Less vehicles on the roads has not led to a decline in the number of police pursuits in Canterbury.

The region's road policing manager Acting Inspector Greg Cottam says it is disappointing the number of pursuits is about the same as before the lockdown.

"We haven't seen a drop in fleeing driver episodes, given the drop in the volumes of traffic, we would have expected to have seen less cases of fleeing drivers and it's disappointing," he said.

On Monday and Sunday there were two pursuits, including one which was abandoned after police signalled a vehicle to stop about midnight on Sunday on Highsted Rd, Casebrook.

The other pursuit involved a stolen vehicle, where the driver failed to stop for police on Main North Rd, Redwood, about 1pm on Monday.

Police are regularly stopping cars to see if they were breaching the lockdown. Acting Inspector Cottam said this could be be a reason for the number of pursuits.

Data collected by NZTA shows volumes of all traffic remained at or near record lows last week in...
Data collected by NZTA shows volumes of all traffic remained at or near record lows last week in five main centres Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton
Police were also pulling over vehicles to ensure the occupants were not driving around to commit crime like burglaries.

"It's not surprising that [fleeing driver] cases haven't dropped. We're still carrying out the same level of law enforcement," he said.

The number of drinking drivers on the roads has decreased with the lockdown.

"Drink driving has dropped way off as you'd expect, with hotels and bars being closed and people largely drinking at home," said Acting Inspector Cottam.

Acting Inspector Cottam said it is important people continue staying home and obeying the rules, particularly with Anzac weekend coming up.

"We have a long weekend coming up with Anzac weekend and we're encouraging people to stay in their bubble and, as the Prime Minister said, let's make sure we've beaten this thing before we actually start moving and put our hard work at risk," he said.