Police in Taranaki are defending a car chase on Tuesday night which culminated in a police car smashing into a power pole.
The car was chasing a red Subaru Impreza that was travelling at more than 170km per hour.
Four police cars were involved in the 70km chase which began at around 8pm near Stratford.
Area Commander Blair Telford says the police car which crashed had pursued the Subaru for 40km.
He believes the dangers posed by the Subaru justified the chase and says official guidelines for pursuits were followed.
Police are still trying to find the Subaru and its driver.
