Report faults police officers for high-speed fatal chase

POLICE have been criticised for driving dangerously fast during a dawn car pursuit that hit speeds up to 160kmh and led to the deaths of two Levin men.

Michael Adam Kaui Keepa, 25, and Harley Kendrick Sean Wilson, 21, both of Levin, were killed when they crashed a stolen Toyota Hilux Surf following a police chase in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, on October 8, 2010.

The pair ploughed into a tree just moments after three police cars abandoned pursuit because a glitch in the police radio made them believe they were being told to stop.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority yesterday disclosed the findings of its investigation into the case.

It highlighted times during the chase that pursuing officers did not tell Dispatch what the posted speed limit was in the area – for example chasing the getaways at 115kmh in a 50kmh area, then 140kmh in a 60kmh area.

The men had driven the stolen vehicle from Levin to the Bay of Plenty to visit family and friends.

At 5.15am they stopped before a police checkpoint at Mt Maunganui and took off at high speed, with Mr Wilson behind the wheel, starting a series of chases that would span 38.5km over 17 minutes.

Police chased the Toyota from Mt Maunganui to Papamoa Beach, where Mr Wilson dodged road spikes laid by other officers. The two police vehicles abandoned the pursuit at that point but 90 seconds later a third officer saw the SUV heading south towards Te Puke and started chasing it. Another police car soon joined the chase, reaching 135kmh in a 50kmh zone at Te Puke. The chase earlier reached 160kmh in a 100kmh zone.

The chase was abandoned after a dispatcher told officers: ‘‘Any unjustified risk to any person you’re to abandon pursuit immediately’’. However, possibly due to a radio blackspot, police heard, ‘‘You’re to abandon pursuit immediately’’. All three police cars stopped chasing.

Just moments later, at 5.34am, Mr Wilson lost control on a corner and crashed down a grass bank into a lamp post and tree, killing both men.

The finding concluded that though officers were justified in chasing Mr Wilson, who had shown he was willing to put lives at risk, they did not take risks fully into account. The initial chase, and others, should have been abandoned earlier.

The investigation also found fault with pre-deployment checks of police gear. The attempt to use road spikes on a car travelling faster than 100kmh was ‘‘undesirable’’.

Police policy now required that officers continually relayed posted speed limits to the communications centre during a chase.