Police Car Pursuits

[Special Delivery]

Just a quick opinion...

It really pisses me off every time I see in the paper as I did a couple of days ago about parents running to the media and whining about their poor little sons or daughters who were victims of a police pursuit gone wrong.

They get their photo in the paper looking all forlorn and let the journalists know how angry they are at the police for continuing with a pursuit that has unfortunately come to a tragic end.

How about these blameless idiots stand up and blame their kids for the whole matter from their actions in stealing a car in the first place? (or failing to stop etc.).

You never read how a parent says, 'my kid was committing a crime and the result was something that no one would want-but the blame must lay with him/her)'. No, they question the validity of a police pursuit and want the police to be held accountable.

Let me see, I don't know any coppers personally but I can imagine that they would not want to be travelling at 200kms an hour chasing an inexperienced, possibly drunk or drugged driver through all sorts of streets just for the sake of it.

Teach your kids about respecting and obeying common law and take your anger and quest for answers to the mirror.

Freaks.

[piedys]

[CQ]

yeh i agree!
i know a few cops myself, and most of the time the cops when theyre in a chase will call it in at about 110 when theyre really going 140 or something. because the pen pushers wil tell them to call it off.
if ppl are stupid enough to get into a car chase then too bad for them if they end up wrapped around a pole.

[commonwombat]

Good point Tess.

The fact is not all police are trained for high speed pursuit and not all police vehicles are designed for this sort of driving.

This has been borne out unfortunately with a number of incidents over the past half dozen years and the various state forces have had to change their training.

Have no sympathy of those who cause these chases and they must accept the consequences of their actions be they dire or else. However it is also a fact that the above factors with relation to the police have added to the tragic nature of these chases that all to frequently end disastrously.

[CQ]

[commonwombat]

What I am saying is than coppers who haven't been trained for high speed driving and often driving vehicles not designed for these speeds have often contributed to the toll from these accidents.

I had referred to this earlier in my previous post.

Do hope this is now to yr satisfaction, CQ.

[CQ]

right, yeh it does.
nothing further, your honor.

[Donny]

No, no. The point is being missed here.

No matter how well the driver is trained and in the best possible pursuit car, it's still not on.

If one car is speeding through city traffic, that's bad enough but for a police car to join in after it's obvious the other car isn't going to stop is crazy.

The first car will go faster and so will the police car. A recipe for disaster. How many citizens is it worth risking in this type of madness ? None. Zero. Not one.

[The Prototype]

Here's a better idea, how about the Police use the helicopters like over in the States and England? Rather than chasing them and putting everyone's lives at risk. Not only are the joy-riders and police officers lives are at risk, but the inocent people that are also on the roads are at risk of being serverely injured, or killed.

Even them new spikes should be used, rather than chasing after the cars, would be much safer and wouldn't do that much damage to anything, other than the car that has been speeding.

[commonwombat]

Ah Proto, in many states of AUS, at least in Sydney and Brisbane they do use the chopper to track 'em and alert the coppers down the line.

The spikes are used in Sydney but there has been one v bad accident with their use.

Generally these pursuits aren't taking place in the cities themselves but rather in outer suburban areas and/or on major arterial roads. It ends up being a matter of risk assessment for the cops.

[CQ]

wat im more thinking about with the police chases is WHO it is thats running away from the cops, and why.
sometimes its a hard one, like if it was a car full of teenagers, as it commonly is, then theyre joy riding usually. to let them get away may well save their lives, but i think it would also increase the numbers of joyriders, if they think the cops r guna leave them, then more of them will do it.
but if its like a single person you would have to think, well what are they running from, its not like they have someone egging them on. maybe theyre wanted. maybe they are pissed. who knows.

but the thing is donny, is if its not in the CBD, then what, i reckon out on an open 2 lane highway with a median strip and light traffic, they should go hammer and tongs til they get them.

[blybo]

[piedys]

[Eunos]

Anyone steals my car I expect the police to chase them no matter the consequences.
To refuse to chase is to give car theft the green light.

[piedys]

If anybody's still interested......

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9001840%255E26462,00.html

dyso