Cop-speak 101: We're not chasing him, he's fleeing

When is a pursuit not a pursuit? When it involves a "fleeing" driver, according to the police.

Police have been told to stop using the words "pursuit" or "chase" in media communications, and instead to refer to "fleeing drivers".

The southern district road policing manager, Inspector Andrew Burns, said the change was a national policy introduced about six weeks ago.

Police wanted to make it clear the responsibility for pursuits and their outcomes was on drivers who fled instead of stopping when asked.

The terminology change was one of the recommendations from this year's review of the police pursuit policy.

The report also recommended more training for staff involved in pursuits, limiting the number of vehicles involved in pursuits, expanding reasons for giving up a pursuit, and abandoning pursuits once an offender's identity was known.

Debate over police policy has heightened this year because of the rising number of pursuit-related deaths.

By September, 16 people had died in 11 fatal pursuits - the worst year on record. The previous highest annual total was six deaths in 2008.

- Otago Daily Times