Police evasion epidemic continues

TASMANIAN motorists are still hellbent on evading police despite new laws designed to combat the issue coming into effect a fortnight ago.

Police Minister Rene Hidding revealed that as of Friday there had been 20 instances of drivers evading police since the police evasion laws came into action on September 13.

The laws will hit offenders with minimum jail time, fines up to $38,500 and vehicle seizures.

Police will be given greater powers to arrest drivers up to a month after they evade police while youth offenders could be dealt with as adults.

Yesterday, a Beauty Point woman was charged with dangerous driving, evading police, driving while disqualified, driving under the influence of drugs, stealing and burglary.

About 9am, police observed a 25-year-old woman driving a stolen Holden Commodore on Invermay Rd, Invermay.

The woman evaded police and officers deployed road spikes to immobilise the vehicle.

The woman continued driving, including on the wrong side of the Northern Outlet into the Launceston CBD, before being arrested after leaving the vehicle in Welman St.

Police said the woman appeared at an out of hours court in Launceston yesterday.

Evasion incidents had risen from 474 to over 1700 over the last four years.

Road Safety Advisory Council chairman Jim Cox said some people believed they could get away with it.

“It’s gotten more and more prevalent, people are guilty, they panic and do a runner,” Mr Cox said. “In the past [before the laws] the police haven’t had the powers but now they do.”