Police and their watchdog have no idea which officer broke the law by driving on the wrong side of the road at a dangerous speed during a search operation.
The chase involved a stolen car, which was pursued north of Auckland and through parts of the North Shore in April last year. The pursuit had been called off and officers were looking for the offenders.
In a report released today, the Independent Police Conduct Authority found that the pursuit, of a stolen car was justified, but the manner in which it happened was ill-considered, dangerous, breached police policy and put other road users at risk.
During the chase, an officer pulled in front of the four-wheel drive and tried to force it to stop, putting road users at unjustified risk.
After the pursuit was called off, an officer drove at speed on the wrong side of the road to look for the car.
Neither the authority nor police have been able to identify the officer.
The IPCA said it took a dim view of the patrol car being driven at high speed and on the wrong side of the road, and said it was dangerous, unnecessary and against the law.
