Pursuit solution is far from simple
Policing involves difficult decisions – including around pursuits – says Police Association president Chris Cahill.
When three teenagers die after driving dangerously in a stolen car and failing to stop for police, it is understandable that the debate on whether police should pursue is front and centre in our news.
Any deaths in these circumstances are tragic for all involved and even more so because they are preventable.
As a society we should question the value of attempting to stop drivers who drive dangerously and flee from police. We should also bear in mind that the answer to that question is far from simple. If it was simple it would have been identified long ago.
Sunday night’s triple fatality in Christchurch demonstrates the challenges our officers and police around the world have to grapple with – the split-second decision on how to respond to a driver who could injure or kill others, and themselves, if allowed to continue.
On Sunday night the youths were in a stolen vehicle, they were already driving dangerously and presenting a serious risk to innocent members of the public. When police tried to stop them, the hazardous driving continued.
Police made the correct decision to abandon the pursuit and other officers then attempted to curtail the continuing risk to the public by laying road spikes. Their purpose is to deflate the tyres and cause the vehicle to slow and eventually stop. In this case, as with many others, the spikes are deployed to mitigate the danger to other road users as well as the fleeing drivers.
I have seen much comment on Sunday night’s tragedy. With the benefit of hindsight, some have criticised police for laying the spikes, but the reality is the results of the young driver crossing the spikes and crashing into a tree were highly unusual and could not have been predicted by the officers involved.
I have discussed with journalists and others the certain outrage there would have been had the officers done nothing to stop this vehicle and it had careened through another red light at a perilous speed, hitting and killing one or more innocent people.
Therein lies the dilemma. Do police stand back and allow a speeding driver to do what they like on the road and risk killing themselves and others, or act as police are trained to and take the initiative to protect the public?
There certainly are compelling arguments on both sides of this debate. Current rules for dealing with fleeing drivers are strict and adherence to them means the vast majority of fleeing driver pursuits are quickly abandoned. If New Zealand decides to follow some other jurisdictions which have relinquished pursuits, there will naturally be consequences.
What would happen when a drunk driver sees a checkpoint ahead and takes off at speed to avoid detection? That driver is already a danger on the road and if no-one can stop him or her,
‘‘ A review will not stop young people stealing cars and driving dangerously.’’
that danger to others increases with every kilometre.
In New Zealand we already have a significant issue with youths stealing vehicles for joyriding, people still drive over the alcohol limit, we are yet to have a simple test for drug driving, and our road toll is a disgrace. In Queensland, where there is a limited pursuit policy, there is anecdotal evidence of youths baiting police by driving dangerously, knowing they will not be stopped.
Policing involves making many difficult decisions, some of which result in unintended consequences. Standing aside and allowing someone to break the law and endanger others is not what police are trained for and it is not what the wider community expects.
Since 2000 there have been four reviews of the police pursuit policy. The fifth review is due for release in the next few weeks and I am hoping it will finally identify some better ways of dealing with fleeing drivers.
Yet we know that a review will not stop young people stealing cars and driving dangerously. No review will deliver the panacea to solve the consequences of that driving. No review will make it easier for first responders when they have to deal with tragedies such as that of Sunday night.
For the families, for the officers and for our wider community it is raw and it hurts. As a community we need to address this conundrum or we will continue to be witness to it repeating, at the unacceptable cost of more young lives.