Police could end car chases as deaths from crashes double

Officers warned they have no legal protection if accidents occur during their pursuit of criminals

POLICE may be told to chase fewer criminals after figures showed the number of people killed during pursuits more than doubled in a year.

A total of 28 drivers, passengers and bystanders died during police pursuits in the year up to April – compared with 13 in the previous 12 months.

While the majority died when the vehicles they were travelling in crashed during a chase, there were also five pedestrians and one cyclist killed.

The sharp rise in fatalities comes despite police drivers being warned that they should think twice before chasing criminals, as they could be prosecuted for dangerous driving.

Last month, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which represents rank and file officers, sent a letter to its members, warning them they have no protection under the law if they have an accident.

While police drivers are permitted to break the speed limit and run red lights while in pursuit, they are not exempt from prosecution if someone is hurt as a result. Even if officers avoid prosecution they can still be investigated for gross misconduct and could be sacked.

The PFEW has been lobbying the Government for a change in the law to offer police drivers more protection, but the warning to its members has led to concerns that criminals will no longer be chased once they take to the roads.

The figures also come amid fears around a surge in moped-enabled crime, where young people use scooters to carry out robberies and violent attacks. Officers in London have already been warned not to chase riders if they remove their helmets. Tim Rogers, the PFEW spokesman on police pursuits, said: “Every death is a tragedy and police officers work very hard to minimise risk in everything they do. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the vast majority of offenders being pursued. Pursuit situations, as with any proactive approved police tactic, create a risk. This is managed by way of extensive training and, when the need arises, scrutinised to give the public confidence that the police are doing the job they are expected using the training they are provided.

“Since 2000, the number of roads policing officers has almost halved, with less than 4,000 now working across England and Wales. This means pursuits can cover a much wider geographical area and take longer to contain because the numbers of specially trained backup officers are dwindling.”

Dame Anne Owers, chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission said in most cases the pursuits had taken place in line with “authorised procedures”. But she added: “Given the rise in fatalities, we will be working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to look at the causes and whether any changes to police pursuit safety or training are needed.”

ACC Steve Barry, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for police pursuits, said: “We operate and encourage an open and transparent process; when harm is caused we immediately report the incident to the IPCC. We are collating national pursuit statistics to inform and improve driver training and are considering with the Home Office how new technology can improve safety standards.”