21 Jul 2012

Arrests after police chases

7:08 am on 21 July 2012

Police in the North Island have been involved in two pursuits.

Palmerston North police officers pursued two men in a stolen van near Fielding for just over 20 minutes at 2.20am on Saturday, reaching speeds of 125 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.

Police say the van ran over road spikes, leaving it on the rims of two tyres.

The men fled but were caught shortly after. The pair will face charges including serious driving and theft of a vehicle.

In Porirua, north of Wellington, police say a patrol car tried to pull over a woman motorist for suspected drink driving at 3.40am.

They say she accelerated away, before stopping at the end of the Titahi Bay causeway where she was breath-tested and was more than twice the legal alcohol limit.