Police acknowledge the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority which found that a Christchurch dog handler was justified in signalling a stolen vehicle to stop moments before it was involved in a serious crash.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 22 October 2022. Three stolen vehicles were travelling in convoy in the CBD area. The police dog handler was looking for them, travelling slowly along Stanmore Road, when one of the stolen cars drove out of a side street without stopping, colliding with the front of the dog van.
The stolen car continued at speed and the dog handler immediately activated his lights and sirens to signal the vehicle to stop. However, due to the speed and erratic manner of driving, the handler made the quick decision to deactivate his lights and sirens, slow down and pull to the left.
The stolen vehicle continued at high speed through a red light at the intersection with Gloucester Street, crashing into a vehicle travelling on a green light.
One of the passengers of the stolen vehicle sustained serious injuries. Thankfully, the driver of the innocent vehicle did not suffer any injuries, and the driver and two other passengers of the offending vehicle were able to get out of the car and walk to the footpath.
The entire incident from when the dog handler had his vehicle hit to the stolen vehicle crashing lasted just 24 seconds.
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill says the officer made the right call to both signal to the vehicle to stop and to then to try and de-escalate the situation.
“The dog handler made quick decisions based of the circumstances in front of him, all in a period of 24 seconds. That’s how unpredictable and dangerous these types of events can be.
“It is unfortunate that the driver of this stolen vehicle showed little regard for anyone else, putting the lives of a member of the public, their own passengers and a police officer at risk,” says Superintendent Hill.
“This is an example of the fast-moving and dynamic situations our officers are placed in every day, and I want to acknowledge this dog handler for his agile and decisive decision making during this incident.”
Following the incident Police arrested four people aged between 10 and 15, and through Youth Court and Youth Aid, they each faced varying consequences for their actions.
