The new pursuit policy for Police is a get out of jail free card for offenders, National’s Police spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“Since the new policy came into effect Police have only laid charges in 42 per cent of cases where someone has failed to stop, this is down from 70 per cent in the four years prior to the policy being implemented.

“New Zealanders rightly expect people who break the law to be held to account. But Labour’s soft on crime attitude has filtered down into the Police and now offenders are speeding away from officers and getting off scot-free.

“We were assured the new policy was just a ‘tweak’ and that offenders who failed to stop for Police would still be held to account. This is clearly not the case.

“Offenders know the Police won’t chase them, they don’t fear being caught. This trial has only emboldened criminals.

“Police officers are telling us they feel powerless to do their job properly because the Government won’t back them to be tough on crime. This is leading to the public losing confidence in our police staff.

“The Police take their cues from the Government, and it’s Labour’s soft attitude towards crime that is putting the safety of our communities at risk. National will hold offenders to account.”