Policy shaped with Kiwi conditions in mind

Calls have been made for police pursuit policy to become more like Queensland’s — where no death has been directly attributed to a pursuit since police were ordered to stop chasing drivers unless life was at risk.

Before tomorrow’s joint review — the first of its kind — the Herald looks at what has made a difference abroad, something considered in a previous IPCA (Independent Police Conduct Authority) review.

In Queensland officers are only able to chase an offender who either:

● Will create imminent threat to life;

● Has or may commit unlawful homicide or attempt to murder;

● Has threatened to kill any person and has the apparent capacity to carry out the threat;

● Has committed an indictable offence before an attempt by police to intercept a vehicle.

That’s seen the number of fatal pursuits drop from 11 between 2006 and 2009 to none at all.

Queensland police said they will keep apprehending those who evade interception but chases will often not be the main route to apprehension.

The NZ Children’s Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft, said that while Queensland has about 44,000 more people than NZ it had 3197 fewer police pursuits in 2016. New Zealand had 3323 fleeing driver incidents that year resulting in seven deaths.

In an opinion piece (right) Becroft writes that he wants police to stop chasing vehicles in which young people are, or may be reasonably thought to be, travelling after the driver fails to stop.

Road safety advocate Clive Matthew-Wilson believes NZ police need to follow the example of several Australian states and ban chases except in extreme emergencies.

“Most fatal pursuits start from a relatively minor violation and quickly escalate into a major catastrophe,” Matthew-Wilson said.

While there are concerns that people will “get away with it”, American research has shown otherwise, he said.

A New Zealand police officer, who spoke on the condition he was not named, said it was frustrating when people compared New Zealand policy with what happened overseas.

He has been involved in at least 300 pursuits and said the existing policy was devised with NZ roads, environments and conditions in mind.

He believes what police do overseas has no relevance here.

For example, he said, police in London could not pursue cars like police in Auckland or Wellington due to the differences in road design and traffic and pedestrian volume.

“New Zealand is unique and that’s what our policy is for,” he said.

All Australian police forces have some form of a restrictive pursuit policy in place and international policy was considered by a 2009 IPCA report, including places in the United States and Canada.

“North American research suggests that, when ‘violent offender only’ policies are introduced, there is a dramatic fall in the number of pursuits and pursuit-related injuries and fatalities, but no corresponding increase in crime or vehicle offending rates,” the report said of the impact of these restrictive policies.

— Additional reporting Anna Leask