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Scenes like these landed a group of boy and girl racers in a Christchurch court. -
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An angry Police Minister is promising tough new measures to crack down on boy racers following an alleged ambush on a Christchurch police officer.
Judith Collins is meeting Police Commissioner Howard Broad on Monday to discuss possible law changes which could see boy racers lose their cars to the crusher.
Police, some in riot gear, were out in force on Saturday night on the trail of the so-called boy racers and were keen to have a ONE News camera there to show the problem is not going away.
There was a report of a security vehicle being pelted with bottles.
Fresh in the minds of police was the attack on one of their own the night before who had bottles pelted at his car and three shots fired at him by a 300-strong boy racer mob.
A man, known only as Brian, claims he was attacked in the same place and at the same time by the same group of hoons.
"They came forward to me, four guys throwing bottles, smashing the truck through the gates, smashing my face," he says.
It's boy racer bedlam that has the minister seeing red.
"Quite clearly they are not respecting the law and...basically they could have got away with murder if they were continuing down the path that they were wanting to on Friday night," says Collins.
Local body by-laws banning racers from certain streets and imposing no-stopping zones in avenues are the only measures local police and the council have been legally able to impose so far.
That has left them crying out for tougher laws to help them deal with a level of boy racer intimidation that many residents say has turned feral and out of control.
Even legal seizure and sale of cars isn't helping. After deducting fines, police must refund the rest
"I'd have to say I was really shocked to find out that these young offenders got money back from the police. It's absolutely outrageous," says Collins.
ONE News has learned the minister will meet with the Police Commissioner and the Transport Minister on Monday to discuss a raft of new anti boy racer legislation. One law being considered, and used in Britain, is called a "cease and desist" order.
Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Dave Cliff says that would allow police to serve boy racers with notices that effectively require them to stop.
"If they continue with the behaviour within a period of say one or two years they're liable for substantial penalties such as confiscation and disqualification."
But the minister wants to go even further.
"I actually want to see a few cars crushed and I'm really not about to put up with the sort of behaviour these guys have been indulging in," says Collins.
Christchurch police say they welcome the support and warn boy racers they will be out in full force over the coming weeks.
Wigram MP Jim Anderton believes teamwork is the only solution to the boy racer problem in Christchurch.
Anderton says if the racer problem is sorted out in one area of town, they just move to another. He says in his electorate, boy racers were congregating in an industrial park and putting factory workers under pressure and bylaws were used to solve the problem, but the racers just moved to another part of town.
He says there needs to be concerted effort from all agencies.
Anderton says everyone is suffering and a robust, long-term campaign is needed to stamp out the problem.
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