Editorial: Tragic pursuits

OPINION: The death last week of two Christchurch people in a crash involving a driver fleeing from the police took the number of people killed in such incidents this year to 13.

Six of the deaths have occurred in Christchurch alone.

Normally in such incidents, those killed or injured are the fleeing drivers or their passengers. What made the latest incident so wrenching was that the victims were an entirely innocent pair on their way home from the gym. Whoever the victims are, however, these crashes leave a legacy of pain and grief.

Inevitably, questions have been raised yet again about police policy and practice regarding high-speed pursuits.

Police policy about pursuits has been subjected to considerable scrutiny over the past few years. It was only recently reviewed again and, according to the Minister of Police, Judith Collins, it is adequate. Actual practice in each separate incident is investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

The latest incident has yet to be reviewed, of course, but from the police account the start of it appears to have been justified and it was very brief before the fatal impact occurred. According to the police, the driver was seen driving at nearly 90kmh in a 50kmh zone.

This clearly could not be ignored. The driver appeared to be slowing for the following patrol car, but then took off again, the police say, and seconds later ran through a red light and hit the vehicle carrying the two victims.

Police in such a situation are likely to be damned if they do and damned if they don't. Officers have spoken of the difficulty they have in deciding whether to continue a pursuit or not. It is a question with no easy answer.

By police policy, the overriding principle governing pursuits is that public and police safety take precedence over the immediate apprehension of any offender.

If, on seeing bad driving occurring or a disqualified driver behind the wheel, police pursue the offender and a crash occurs, some sections of the community are going to apportion part of the blame for it to them.

On the other hand, if they do not intervene, and the driver subsequently causes death or injury, the police may be blamed for having failed to take action.

These decisions are made all the more difficult by the fact an incident is often over and the mayhem has occurred within a very short space of time.

Ultimately, though, putting blame on the police is getting things the wrong way around. Every time a pursuit ends in death or injury, the only true culprit is the person who failed to stop when signalled to do so. It is that individual's decision and no-one else is in any way responsible.

High-speed pursuits have become more frequent. That can only be because a few pathetic individuals think there is some kind of reputation to be gained from engaging in them.

The bottomless idiocy of this kind of mindset makes it difficult to eradicate. Probably the only effective means will be action within the communities most involved.

An example of this occurred at the tangi for one of three people killed in a crash after a short pursuit in Manchester St in Christchurch in August.

A mourner made a heartfelt plea to those gathered at the funeral: "Don't run from those cops any more."

As she correctly observed, too many people had been killed trying to run – "just pull over and stay over".

- © Fairfax NZ News