Sunday Star-Times

HEAD-ON TOURIST SMASH

POLICE APOLOGY TO ‘IMPATIENT’ CHINESE VICTIM

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A tourist who was badly hurt in a head-on crash had insult added to her extensive injuries when a police officer asked her why Chinese people were so ‘‘impatient’’.

The woman and two friends were injured – one critically, spending a week in a coma – when their car was hit by an oncoming vehicle that had crossed the centre line as they drove from New Plymouth to the Waitomo Caves on December 30, news website Sky Kiwi reported.

After spending a month in hospital recovering, the woman texted the constable for an update on the investigat­ion.

‘‘You said one month last time, why it takes so long?’’ she asked.

‘‘What’s the rush?’’ the officer replied.

‘‘Investigat­ions can take time, they need to ensure they are correct and everyone has been spoken to. Why are all the Chinese people involved so impatient?’’

Police said comments made by the officer, a constable based at Mokau, 83km northwest of New Plymouth, were inappropri­ate.

‘‘We demand the highest standards of integrity from our staff, in terms of judgement, choices and actions,’’ they said in a statement.

The story sparked a firestorm of comments on the SkyKiwi site, with some accusing the police of racism.

Mai Chen, managing partner of Chen Palmer Partners and chair of the Superdiver­sity Centre, said this kind of incident was worrying for people from different ethnicitie­s and could be bad for tourism.

‘‘It erodes confidence in the police, which is disappoint­ing when so many officers I have met are profession­al, committed, empathetic and not racist.

‘‘Unfortunat­ely, the officer’s response gives the impression that racism explains the lack of empathy and profession­alism.’’

She praised the police response to the officer’s comment.

A spokespers­on for the Human Rights Commission said ethnicity did not have anything to do with wanting a crash to be investigat­ed.

The commission was reluctant to comment further without being briefed on the ongoing investigat­ion, but said everyone should be treated with respect.

The injured woman, a front-seat passenger, suffered injuries including a fractured sternum, compressio­n fractures of her upper spine and a fractured wrist.

Another passenger suffered severe damage to multiple organs, was unconsciou­s in an ICU ward for a week after the crash, and has undergone multiple surgeries. The driver suffered minor injuries.

Before returning to Shanghai on Wednesday, the tourist who had the text exchange with the officer said she was frustrated at the slow pace of the police investigat­ion.

She told SkyKiwi there there had been plenty of other drivers who witnessed the crash.

‘‘My victim support also told me not to take the case to the court in New Zealand, because the lawyer would cost a fortune, and it will take at least two or three years,’’ she said.

Police say the investigat­ion into the crash is ongoing. According to a traffic crash report obtained by the Sunday Star-Times, the oncoming car – driven by a New Plymouth local – had been on the wrong side of the road prior to the crash.

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 ??  ?? A Chinese tourist injured in this New Plymouth collision says she was warned that New Zealand justice was slow and expensive.
A Chinese tourist injured in this New Plymouth collision says she was warned that New Zealand justice was slow and expensive.

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