Motorcade Officers will not face internal disciplinary action

The two Police Officers convicted and sentenced today for charges relating to the conduct of the Prime Minister's Waimate to Christchurch Airport Motorcade in August last year will not face internal disciplinary charges.

The Assistant Commissioner of Crime Reduction and Public Safety, Peter Marshall, said today he would honour commitments made that the officers involved would not lose their jobs.

"Facing charges in the criminal jurisdiction is a very serious matter for police officers and in this case we have decided that it would be taking matters too far to press for internal charges and sanctions beyond the criminal action already taken.

Mr Marshall said that Police had an excellent record when it came to escorting VIP's in motorcades and that the Waimate to Christchurch Airport incident had been an aberration not in keeping with the good practice usually shown.

"What we had here was officers taking a 'can do' attitude to get the Prime Minister to her next appointment. They have paid the price for their judgement calls and the outcome of the case sends a clear signal to all their colleagues and the police administration, that road safety remains paramount.

"Since last year's incident the Police policy on Motorcades has been updated to specify that motorcade commanders must set the motorcade speed, which must be within the speed limit unless there is an imminent threat to the VIP."

The top priority for all police, no matter the nature of their deployment, is to work within the Urgent Duty Driving Policy and the requirements of the Land Transport Act," the Assistant Commissioner said.

ENDS

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