27 Nov 2009

Police too fast, too close in fatal pursuit

2:35 pm on 27 November 2009

An investigation has found the police pursued a stolen car too fast and too closely in West Auckland, before it crashed killing a 14-year-old passenger.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority says the officer who was driving reached an unacceptably high speed during the chase in March.

The patrol car started pursuing the Subaru Forrester at 3am on 20 March after responding to call about a break-in in Laingholm.

The police car reached 130 km/h on a straight, downhill road that had a 50 km/h speed limit.

Four teenagers were in the Subaru which crashed into a power pole and then a tree, killing back seat passenger Robert Alaiula.

The authority's report on the chase has also recommended

that officers should be routinely breath tested if they're involved in pursuits that end in serious death or injury.

It made the same suggestion in a review of police pursuit policy that was released last month.

However the authority says the officer who was driving in the March chase was found to be sober after voluntarily undergoing a breath test.