Yesterday, 33 young people were due to appear in the Youth Court in Christchurch. Of those, two-thirds of them were facing charges of unlawfully taking and/or using cars.

Or, as you and I would say, about 20-or-so of them were accused of breaking into cars and driving off in them, or jumping into a car that one of their mates had stolen and going for a cruise.

And that was just yesterday’s line-up in the Youth Court.

Today, local police are speaking out and saying that because they aren’t allowed to chase these kids anymore, it’s turning into more and more of a problem.

Now, if you’re of the view that the no-pursuits policy is a good thing, then you're probably thinking to yourself that the fact 20-or-so kids were in the Youth Court yesterday proves that the police don’t need to chase them with lights and sirens blazing to catch them.

Which is fine. But what police are saying today, is that because they’re not allowed to chase them - these idiots are doing stupid, stupid things behind the wheel and putting lives at risk.

The police can’t chase them because of the change to the police pursuit policy in December 2020 which means, these days, police will only chase someone if there is an immediate and obvious threat to life. Which would be a situation such as a kidnapping or an active shooter.

Anything else though - no pursuit.

Now I’ll be the first to say that the change in pursuit policy obviously came from a place of good intentions. I was reading this morning that, in the 10 years before the change, four innocent people died after getting caught up in a crash during a police pursuit. Another 59 people died - they were people being chased by the police.

Since the change, no innocent people have died; three drivers who fled police - but were not chased - have died.

So well-intentioned policy and certainly seems to be working in reducing deaths associated with offenders in vehicles.

But today - after that crash over the weekend in Christchurch involving a 15-year-old allegedly driving a stolen car, with a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old in the back, and another 15-year-old in the front being critically injured after being thrown from the vehicle - local police are saying today that the no-pursuits policy is a big part of the problem.

Here’s a quote from one unnamed Police source about the situations they’re finding themselves in with these kids: “Our no-pursuits policy is fuelling this situation because they know if they drive like idiots, we don’t do anything”.

Another police source is saying today that the pursuing driver policy should never have been changed because it has enabled young people to “offend at will”.

Which is why I think the Police need to revisit this pursuit policy, because I’m with the officers who are saying today that you’re at risk, I’m at risk, because these kids know full well that the cops won’t chase them and so they’re menaces and a threat to every other law-abiding person.

And, according to the report I’ve been reading this morning, these kids are actually baiting the police because they know they won’t come after them.

But the police are warning that, because they’re not allowed to pursue them, it’s just a matter of time before they kill themselves in a crash or kill an innocent member of the public.

This kid involved in the crash in Linwood at 3:30 on Saturday morning is lucky not to have been killed. Although, at the time their injuries were described as critical so who knows what shape they’re in.

Police sources are saying today that, in some cases, the kids nicking these cars and screaming around the place in them are deliberately ramming, nudging or cutting-off other motorists. And it’s all about impressing the other turkeys in the cars with them or impressing their mates on social media.

And if these cops are telling me today that I could be at risk of getting caught up in what these kids are doing because they don’t have the powers to chase them as soon as they see them, then I’m backing them 100 percent and saying absolutely this no-pursuits policy needs to be changed.

Because imagine all the noise if things go pear-shaped and these out-of-control kids take some innocent person’s life or changes some innocent person’s life forever, just because they know the cops won’t chase them.

Change is definitely needed.

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