Time to ban police car chases – expert

A leading road safety campaigner has called for a ban on police car chases, except in ‘extreme emergencies’.

Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the car review website dogandlemon.com, was commenting after a police chase in South Auckland, in which the fleeing car collided with an innocent motorist. The motorist’s car was written off and the driver injured.

“I know it's frustrating for the police to have to put up with criminal idiots who speed away from patrol cars. However, the fact remains that high speed chases risk the lives of everyone, including the police and innocent motorists.”

This latest incident came shortly after the Independent Police Conduct Authority found that a 127km/h police car chase through a 50kp/h zone in Gisborne was unjustified. The chase ended in a crash in which three occupants of the fleeing car died.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority found numerous errors in the way the pursuit was conducted and that the officer involved had failed to follow correct procedures.

Matthew-Wilson adds:

“These fleeing drivers aren’t going to stop and think what they’re doing, so it’s up to the police to use their heads instead.”

“The police have other options: they can use surveillance cameras, helicopters, road spikes, or simply notify other police cars and quietly pursue the fleeing vehicle at a distance.”

“The sort of drivers who try and outrun police don’t think of consequences – they get a rush of adrenaline and just take off at high speed. However, the police who are pursuing a fleeing car shouldn’t allow a similar rush of adrenaline to replace their own sound judgment.”

In 2011, five people were killed and 89 injured during police pursuits, including 69 people in offending vehicles, four police officers and 16 innocent bystanders or road users.

In Tasmania, Australia, police chases of this sort are banned. Police in Tasmania say the ban has not stopped them catching criminals.

Assistant Commissioner Donna Adams of the Tasmanian Police, told Metro magazine that the police, who initially opposed the ban on car chases, now strongly supported it.

Adams said that while police could still pursue vehicles for serious crimes in progress, such as robbery or murder, “they’re very few and far between.”

Adams added that the ban has not impacted on the enforcement of laws. People aren't drink-driving or nicking vehicles with impunity, she says, because they're still getting caught.

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