NCJ Number
118671
Journal
Police Volume: 21 Issue: 8 Dated: (April-May 1989) Pages: 38,40
Date Published
1989
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Police officers in the United Kingdom are under criticism because of recent accidents in which suspects were being pursued or police cars were involved in collisions.
Abstract
Some individuals believe that police officers are to blame for accidents following high-speed chases, presumably on the grounds that they cause fugitive drivers to react dangerously. A government report may be issued soon in which new guidelines will be established for police car drivers: only officers with the most advanced driver training will be permitted to pursue a suspect car; no more than two cars should normally be involved in a pursuit; drivers should "hang back" from the suspect vehicle, waiting for it to stop or run out of gas; controllers should not bring other vehicles into an operation unnecessarily; helicopters should be used when available; and rolling roadblocks versus static ones should be used. The article is critical of the apparent public perception that police officers are to blame when a fatality occurs, and a police car is in any way involved. Police officers are likewise bitter about the emphasis on alleged police responsibility for fatalities, when they view the real culprits as drivers who seek to evade being stopped or arrested.