Boy racers say Parker is to blame

IAN STEWARD

"Stand your ground. Bottle the pigs," was the text message circulated among boy racers moments before a lone policeman was attacked by a crowd in Christchurch on Friday night.
Police Minister on boy racer crackdown.

The attack has sparked national outrage and prompted Police Minister Judith Collins to propose tough new laws, including the crushing of repeat offenders' cars.

Boy racers yesterday blamed the weekend's unrest on Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker.

"You've got Bob Parker out there saying we run like cockroaches when we see the flashing lights. Did they expect no retaliation?" one 21-year-old driver said.

The man, who declined to be named, said boy racers were "sick of being picked on" and some had decided to "stand up for themselves".

Pushing boy racers was unwise as "not everyone out there is adult-minded".

That attitude was confirmed by Rob Cook, who witnessed the Wigram attack.

Cook was working at the Post Haste Couriers depot on the corner of Wigram Rd and Hammersmith Dr on Friday night when between 300 and 400 people descended on the area, forcing staff to "lock down" the property.

Cook went out to speak to boy racers and watched as Sergeant Nigel Armstrong drove into the mob.

"The text that went round was `Stand your ground. Bottle the pigs'," Cook said.

As Armstrong rounded the corner "about 30 or 40 bottles" were thrown at the patrol car.

"It was orchestrated," Cook said.

Armstrong reported being shot at by a pellet gun or similar weapon that shattered his car's windows.

Cook said that from talking to boy racers it was clear they were upset about Parker's continued efforts to discredit them.

Parker, who is visiting Scott Base in Antarctica, could not be reached for comment last night.

A "furious" Collins met Police Commissioner Howard Broad yesterday and then flew to Christchurch to meet a deputation that included Armstrong, Canterbury police district commander Superintendent Dave Cliff, Deputy Mayor Norm Withers and Selwyn Mayor Kelvin Coe.

Collins said she was looking at other countries' approaches to beefing up legislation, including Western Australia and Britain.

The law changes could take six or seven months, but she could see no reason why repeat offenders should not have their cars crushed.

Cliff was in favour of cease-and-desist orders similar to those used in Britain.

The orders would put boy racers "on notice", similar to a good-behaviour bond, and if they reoffended they could be liable for fines, confiscation of car or prison.

Cliff said the problem was identifying individual offenders to be charged with specific crimes a hard task with the large, chaotic groups boy racers often created.

The cease-and-desist orders could be applied en masse and be more general, he said.

Cliff said boy racers often indulged in "organised criminal activity" rather than straight traffic offences.

There were some car enthusiasts who enjoyed driving around "who we're not really worried about" and a criminal element "organising others and hiding within the crowd", he said.

Other proposed laws included:

"Tightening up" on obscuring of number plates.Compelling the legal owner of a car to tell police about a driver.Tougher penalties for failing to stop for police.

A Christchurch National MP, Nicky Wagner, wanted to see laws prohibiting open bottles of alcohol in cars as drivers were often sober but carried drunken passengers who made trouble along the way.

Boy racer Jordan Mason, who was at the gathering on Friday, said law changes had been proposed for years but boy racers had not been deterred.

He said a burnout pad for boy racers in a secluded area would solve most of the problems.

 

- © Fairfax NZ News