Police Chase Policy Not Road-worthy
Candor Trust
 
Candor Trust say the view expressed by the Police Association that any perceived tightening of pursuit criteria, results in more runners so more chases (and related harm) reflects old school thinking, ignores the evidence base and closes down needed debate. More often than not pursuits at speed are not the crime fighters tool of choice.
 
The question here is - are Police here to serve Communities with their greatest security in mind, or are communities here to be placed at risk by the Police at their sole discretion by chases that are criminogenic of homicide and battery. The answer may lie in the arrogant response of organisations like the ACC whom Candor invited to a community hui late in 2008 regarding improvement of Police chase safety.
 
The invites were all declined by Government bodies, as they said they could deal with any issues arising inhouse. Given the high risks to community safety of rampant Police chases Candor believes this willfull disjoint from afflicted communities is naughty.
 
A 50% rise in pursuits since 2004, essentially driven by ever rising patrol car hours under extreme offence quota pressure is quite alarming, given strong International evidence that permissive chase policies exacerbate road tolls, and simultaneously fail to reduce serious crime rates.
 
Recent events simply underscore the words of World Bank Officials involved in the NZ Road Police Resource Allocation Experiment, who lately reported to a conference that this sort of heavy traffic enforcement cum policing model does not represent best practice, since the theorised linkage to injury prevention seems absent.
 
The Police 's taskmasters (NZTA) would do well to realise that evidence based jurisdictions around the world now use restrictive chase guidelines, following community pressure, with marked benefits for their Publics safety.
 
Stoking of a Cowboy and Indian culture in Public spaces does little to enhance community standing or a professional image, and the Service needs to factor the pain and bitterness created by frequently tragic collateral damage.
 
Persisting in extended pursuits triggered by vaguely suspicious behaviour, minor traffic or property offences is unjustifible in 2009. Studies show runners usually will not stop dead due to a common belief they'll be safer by outrunning the Cops, so engaging beyong initial attempts to pull ovr is predictably creating an immeasurably more dangerous situation than "refusing to play". No stolen car or suspected GDLS breach is worth a life.
 
It is Candor Trusts long standing view that severe well publicised penalties must be introduced to discourage runners in the first instance, but that Police need to be more conscious and pro-active regarding the big safety picture. A much more restrictive pursuit policy is key to this. This is too slow in coming, due to the implicit conflict between practising road safety sanity, and maximising Officers ability to meet monthly quotas.  

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