A Christchurch woman who believed she was going to be raped and killed during a vicious assault says she believes police could have caught her attacker if they'd shown up at the time.

The woman is still in shock from the attack, which happened in a lane near the Wycola Ave shops about 10.30pm on Friday, October 4, while she was walking home from a friend's place. 

A man in a light-coloured vehicle tried to hit her with his vehicle while flashing his headlights to obscure her view. He then got out, pushed her to the ground and grabbed her around the throat and tried to pull her into the vehicle.

The woman said police did not visit on the night of the attack, but instead a 105 call operator advised her to "pop into a police station to make a statement" the next day.

A detective visited her at home on October 9 – five days after the attack. 

"I might not be physically damaged, but on the inside I am. I've got to live with this for the rest of my life," she said.

The detective told her the operator had given the call the wrong priority. 

"I said ... 'so, because a woman gets attacked and survives, it's not a high priority?'"

She later used Facebook to identify the man she believed was responsible for the attack and told police, but was amazed there had still been no arrest. 

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A police spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday that police were investigating several lines of inquiry, "some of which have been provided by the victim", but she would not comment further "due to this being an active investigation".

The woman said the response by police had made the traumatic episode worse.

"I feel hurt, I feel let down. I feel there's no protection here for people." 

After the attack, she told her husband to call 105, the number for non-urgent police reports, "because I said 'I'm not bleeding and I don't think I've got anything broken yet and I'll assess that later and I'm not dead'".

The call operator advised her to make a statement at a police station the following day, which she did.  The detective visited a few days later. 

"He's the only one who's said they're sorry that no-one came," she said. 

On Tuesday, she returned to the police station for a video statement.  

"I had to go right back from the beginning and it was all videoed this time. And I said 'please, please can this be the last time I have to re-live this'."

The family were staying with friends since the attack as they no longer felt safe in their own home. 

"You are supposed to be protected by police ... if they had responded straight away they could have caught [the offender] driving around."

Police understand the assailant is a middle-aged, European man who is more than 182 centimetres tall. 

Detective Sergeant Brad Grainger confirmed no officers attended at the time of the attack. 

"The matter was assessed as requiring follow up action, but not immediate attendance based on the initial information provided to police."

It was possible the attack could have been sexually or racially motivated, as the woman was wearing a headscarf at the time, but this was not yet confirmed, he said.

Canterbury police metro commander Superintendent Lane Todd earlier said police should turn up to any street assault. He has ordered a review of the police response to the incident.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 03 363 7400, quoting file number 191006/6929.