Clearer police pursuit rules put road safety first

By BRIDGET CARTER

Police officers will have to stick to strict new rules for chasing criminals from today after a string of cases where people have been killed at the end of high-speed chases by police.

The new guidelines on police pursuits gives police supervisors the ultimate power to call off a chase.

When the chase has been called off, officers need to immediately switch off their lights and siren, slow down, stop on the side of the road and tell the communications centre where they are.

Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said the main change to guidelines was that they were more focused. The rules put road safety before catching offenders and gave more specific details.

For example, the new rules made it clear that the abandon pursuit command applied to all police cars.

All police officers had been briefed on the guidelines, which apply to all staff from today.

They have been released not long after two high-profile cases in which innocent victims were killed in crashes.

In December, a triple fatal crash occurred in Mt Roskill after police chased a group of youths in a car along Stoddard Rd.

In May, a controversial police chase south of Whangarei ended with the death of innocent Auckland teenager Erin Burgess.

Ms Burgess, 18, died in a double fatal crash at the end of a prolonged chase where officers pursued a motorcyclist at speeds approaching 200km/h.

The chase was criticised by Northland coroner Max Atkins. His inquest findings revealed:

* Some officers thought that the abandon pursuit command applied only to one police vehicle.

* One officer forgot to turn off the flashing lights once the police car had been told to abandon the chase.