Police acknowledge the IPCA’s findings in relation to a fatal Police pursuit in Rotorua in 2024.
At 11:30am on 31 October 2024, Police signalled for a vehicle to stop, to conduct a routine traffic stop in the Rotorua city centre.
The vehicle then made a dangerous manoeuvre at a busy intersection and fled from Police. The vehicle was not pursued due to the risk that would have presented.
A second nearby Police unit believed the occupants of the fleeing vehicle were those reportedly seen with a firearm in the central city only moments earlier, leading to both Police units then pursuing the vehicle.
The vehicle was pursued for 90 seconds as it travelled away from the city centre, before it lost control while navigating a corner, colliding with a van travelling in the opposite direction.
The 15-year-old driver of the vehicle died at the scene, the passenger was seriously injured.
The authority found that the officers were justified in initiating the pursuit based on the circumstances and information they had at the time.
Police also note the authority’s additional finding that the pursuit should have been abandoned.
Superintendent Will Loughrin, Bay of Plenty District Commander, says decisions were made based on the best available information across a very short timeframe. Managing radio traffic more effectively may be desirable, but is not always immediately achievable.
“Our people come to work every day to keep our community safe, and this type of incident is something we never want to happen.
“Police have put measures in place to support our people in terms of decision-making during pursuits.
“We have identified learnings from this incident, and we continue work to ensure that any pursuit undertaken is done so appropriately, with the correct information at the forefront of any decision-making processes.
“Police staff work in a fast-paced environment every day and it is critical that in those split-second moments, we are all making the best decisions for everyone involved.
“This incident has given us an opportunity to further review process and standard practices to determine whether they are still fit for purpose.
“Changes have been made to the Responder application that officers can access on their mobile devices, to ensure that real time and up-to-date information is always available to those officers once it becomes available.
“These incidents are challenging, and we have no doubt those involved have taken some key learnings from this.”
Police would again like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young man who died following this incident.
