Yahoo News Police pursuit deaths double in a year
The number of people killed on the roads while being chased by the policehas more than doubled in the past year, new figures have revealed.
A total of 28 drivers, passengers and bystanders died during police pursuits in the year up to April - up from just 13 in the previous 12 months.
While the the vast majority died when the vehicles they were travelling in crashed during a police chase, there were also five pedestrians and one cyclist killed.
The sharp rise in fatalities comes despite police drivers being warned that they should think twice before chasing criminals, as they could be prosecuted for dangerous driving.
Last month, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which represents rank and file officers, sent a letter to its members, warning them they have no protection under the law if they have an accident.
While police drivers are permitted to break the speed limit and run red lights while in pursuit, they are not exempt from prosecution if someone is hurt as a result.
Even if officers escape prosecution they can still be investigated for gross misconduct and could be sacked from the force.
The PFEW has been lobbying the government for a change in the law to offer police drivers more protection, but the warning to its members has led to concern that criminals will no longer be chased once they take to the roads.
The figures also come at a time of increasing concern about the surge in moped enabled crime, where young people use high powered scooters to carry out robberies and violent attacks.
Tim Rogers, who is the PFEW spokesman on police pursuits said while there was no clear reason for the spike in deaths, the reduction in the number of roads policing officers had led to a more dangerous environment.
Mr Rogers said: “Every death is a tragedy and police officers work very hard to minimise risk in everything they do. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the vast majority of offenders being pursued.
“Pursuit situations as with any proactive approved police tactic, creates a risk. This is managed by way of extensive training and, when the need arises, scrutinised to give the public confidence that the police are doing the job they are expected using the training they are provided.
"That said, the number of operational roads policing officers has significantly dropped over the years.
“Since 2000, the number of roads policing officers has almost halved, with less than 4000 now working across England and Wales.
“This means pursuits can cover a much wider geographical area and take longer to contain because the numbers of specially-trained backup officers are dwindling.”
Dame Anne Owers, the chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) described the rise as "noticeable", but said in most cases the pursuits had taken place in line with “authorised procedures”.
But she added: "Given the rise in fatalities, we will be working with the National Police Chiefs' Council to look at the causes and whether any changes to police pursuit safety or training are needed."
Overall there were 32 fatalities on the roads last year involving the police, with four people killed in non pursuit situations.
One pedestrian was struck by a police car at a crossing while another died after being hit by a fleeing car the police had asked to stop.
Another similar incident involved a cyclist being struck and killed, while a suspected drunk driver died after crashing when the police requested he pull over.
