A resident from Ōtautahi/Christchurch says they are "deeply frustrated" with police over their lack of action after a near-miss crash they claim could have killed multiple people.
The man, who did not want to be identified, told Newshub the near-miss happened when their friend was driving a tour bus with more than 20 people aboard through Ōmakō/Lindis Pass (SH8) two months ago.
In a video recording sent to Newshub, the man's friend was driving along a bend in the road, just as a Toyota Hiace van trying to overtake a large truck-trailer came in the oncoming direction.
"Fortunately, we managed to avoid a potential accident by temporarily manoeuvring onto the left shoulder," he said.
The Toyota van was "displaying extremely dangerous driving behaviour", the man added.
The near-miss happened on February 13. The man's friend reported it to police on their 105 service later that evening, and he was given a reference number for the case.
"However, when he submitted the video to the Christchurch Police Station on the 19th [of February], the front desk officer informed him that they couldn't locate information about the driver, citing the excuse that it was too late," said the man.
He called that response by police "infuriating" and said it's disregarding public safety.
"I cannot comprehend why the police couldn't find the driver of a vehicle with a known licence plate."
The near-miss could have resulted in the deaths of 20 or more people, he said.
The man wanted police to take more proactive action to identify and prosecute the driver at fault.
"Police inaction could lead to more innocent people being harmed, which is entirely avoidable."
Police have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
