Police Download ReportNew Zealand police chase speeding teenagers until they crash
This is a great example that supports the idea of restraint when police decide to start pursuit of a vehicle. While these teens were probably dangerous to have on the road, it seems a lot more dangerous to pursue them if they try to outrun. Why didn’t they call in the license plate number and call for backup up ahead? Sure it seems like a challenge when the suspect doesn’t pull over, but in the interests of public safety, having two speeding vehicles on the road and a nervous/panicked driver in front is definitely a much more dangerous situation.
From TVNZ:
A 14-year-old girl is in a critical condition after a car she was in was chased by police in south Auckland.The vehicle lost control in the early hours chase, eventually rolling and catching fire.
The chase began at around one-thirty on Saturday morning, when police flagged down a Toyota for speeding.
The driver would not stop, and took off on a chase through Otara.
Police say the vehicle lost control at speed, and smashed into a concrete lamp post on Bairds Road.
They say the car rolled onto its side and then caught fire.
One occupant was thrown clear of the wreckage, while three teenagers aged between 14 and 16 were pulled from the front windscreen of the burning car and taken to Middlemore Hospital.
- keywords: chase , crash , critical , hospital , injured , newzealand , nz , speed , speeding , teenagers
The problem with young people these days is the denial of consequence. We molly-coddle our young, restraining from ever disciplining them in any effective manner, so that they grow into a world that demands responsibility without EVER becoming responsible. These people sped off when they didn’t have to, the could have stopped but didn’t and whilst this is purely conjecture, if the police had stopped they would have got home and bragged to their friends about flipping the finger at the cops – thereby perpetuating more behaviour of this sort. The police would have filed the report and then binned it into the too hard basket as there are more serious crimes out there for them to investigate. The result? Another misdemeanour committed without consequence. At least now, there will be some impact amongst this person’s friends – if you are stupid enough to run, you should accept the consequences of your actions.
Rumbug | Sunday December 24, 2006 | #
