[Greens-Media] Dangerous Police Pursuits for Minor Traffic Offences: Time it ended in NSW

[David Shoebridge MLC]

Data obtained by the
Greens<http://parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/c63f637ee30ce3beca2578c300122a54/c1e9cd8483ee1be8ca257c28001779c6?OpenDocument>
has
found that an extraordinary 60% of all NSW high speed police car pursuits
in 2013 were commenced as a result of traffic offences.  A further 15% were
due to failure to stop at an RBT and only a tiny minority, 11%, were to
pursue a fleeing criminal from a crime scene with a further 15% chasing a
stolen vehicle.


See further reporting on a recent deeply disturbing NSW high speed police
chase<http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/21382629/police-chase-ends-dangerously-outside-childcare-centre/>
initiated
after an illegal u-turn and ending with police crashing into a bus stop
outside a child care centre.


The figures obtained by the Greens also show that in the last two years 8
people have died as a result of NSW police pursuits, and 78 have been
injured, 14 of who were innocent bystanders.

NSW Greens MP and Spokesperson for Police David Shoebridge said:


"NSW has far and away the most police chases of any state in NSW and the
risks and dangers they create for police, offenders and innocent bystanders
are not being properly considered.


 "This recent case is a clear illustration of a dangerous and failed policy
with NSW police escalating a minor traffic offence of an illegal u-turn
into a dangerous high-speed chase that ends with police crashing into a bus
stop outside a child care centre.


"Across the world, and across Australia, police forces are winding back on
dangerous chases for minor offences and NSW is stubbornly bucking that
trend.


"It is deeply disturbing that the majority of NSW police car chases result
from what are often minor traffic infringements that then escalate into a
serious and life-threatening police pursuit.


"The NSW Police Minister needs to take a good hard look at these figures
and explain why NSW police are escalating traffic offences to high speed
chases and increasing the risk of serious injury or death to the drivers,
passengers, police and innocent bystanders.


"A police pursuit should only be undertaken on the basis of the seriousness
of the initial alleged offence, rather than on subsequent traffic
violations.


"NSW police are hitting high speeds of up to 187km/h chasing offenders, and
this kind of dangerous pursuit should be limited to chasing more serious
criminals.


"If a person fails to stop at an RBT then there is good reason to believe
they are not sober, so to escalate this to a high speed chase is clearly
dangerous.


"With in-car police cameras, polair and comprehensive on-line databases,
nine times out of ten traffic offenders, or people who fail to stop at an
RBT, can be far more safely and easily arrested by police when they return
home than through a high speed chase.


"Instead of a dangerous chase, most times police should be throwing the
book at these drivers when they get home.


"NSW can learn a lot from jurisdictions in the US as well as Queensland and
Tasmania where police chases are only undertaken to chase serious offenders
and not to dangerously pursue someone doing an illegal u-turn." Mr
Shoebridge said.


*Media Contact: 0408 113 952*

-- 

* David ShoebridgeGreens MP in the NSW Legislative Council P: (02) 9230
3030 |Media: 0408 113 952|T: @ShoebridgeMLC
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