Call for change amid youth crims’ mockery of Qld law enforcement
Frustrated police taunted by “untouchable” car thieves protected by a no-chase policy have called for change that’s been echoed by a Queensland victim of crime who had two vehicles ripped off in just six weeks.
Cairns
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Frustrated police taunted by “untouchable” car thieves protected by a no-chase policy, angry victims of crime, and the Queensland Police Union have called for a dramatic rethink in how the service deals with stolen cars.
Shane “Danger” Coleman was at his McCormack St workshop in Cairns last month when a young woman allegedly snuck in and stole his recently acquired Toyota HiLux.
Six weeks earlier the coral farmer’s modified Nissan Navara NP300 was stolen from his Manunda home while he was sleeping.
It was later found dumped and torched.
Flying to Sydney to pick up a replacement vehicle, Mr Coleman owned the new HiLux for about a week before it was allegedly stolen, spiked by police to later be found smashed up and dumped in the carpark of a Cairns shopping centre.
While the car was at large, Mr Coleman’s mates were out all over town searching for the four-wheel-drive that was spotted being driven in a dangerous manner, jumping gutters and running red lights.
Mr Coleman said a shift away from a hands-off chase policy toward the training of specialist officers in vehicle-stopping techniques would limit property damage and potentially save lives.
“In the United States they are trained to drive police cars like weapons,” he said.
“The damage they are causing far outweighs the damage to a police car so the police may as well drive the vehicle into them, they are trained to do it in the states, so I don’t know why we can’t do it here.
“Something has to change but I still think locking them up for longer is the key.”
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior agreed with Mr Coleman and has called for a controversial PIT (Precision Immobilisation Technique) manoeuvre seen in Hollywood movies and used by United States police officers to drive vehicles off the road to be made legal in Queensland.
Mr Prior said the current chase policy had given free rein to offenders while potentially bringing disciplinary action and criminal charges if officers breached the policy.
“The QPS policy on intercepting offenders is clear but very restrictive,” he said.
“It’s become a green light for criminals in Queensland to drive almost without consequence. “Frontline police and emergency service workers are also at great risk as offenders increasingly use stolen vehicles as weapons.
“Unable to pursue these offenders leaves us frustrated that we cannot protect ourselves and are failing the community.
“We have seen the irresponsible behaviour of these offenders tragically take the lives of others who just happened to be on the road at the same time as these idiots.”
Mr Prior said the state of Queensland was too vast for specialist police pursuit squads to be available in every necessary location at short notice but the union’s president did back special training and greater use of tyre deflation devices.
“I support all frontline police being trained in Tactical Vehicle Intervention manoeuvres to protect police officers and others from imminent death or serious injury but that will require qualification skills and regular refresher training with proper vehicles used,” he said.
Two women allegedly involved in the theft of Mr Coleman’s vehicle were charged with a long list of offences and are due to face court next month.
“My vehicle was a mess, the car was full of crushed up beer cans, they have been jumping gutters, the suspension will probably be sh*t, they were shooting up meth in my car, they treat it as a playground and they don’t care,” he said.
“I’m sick to death of it, everyone is, enough is enough, there needs to be a message sent out to say everyone is sick of it.”
Queensland Police Service officers feel similarly.
A senior frontline officer attached to the Cairns station in the far north of the state who spoke on condition of anonymity said the policy had to change.
“They drive past us and give us the finger and throw empty stubbies at us, they listen to our radio and we only have certain areas where we can use our stingers, our road spikes, and they know every single one of them,” the officer said.
“We can’t touch them.”
The officer said the government has justified a stance on the pursuit policy by stating no deaths have occurred since the policy came into play.
“But they don’t include (Matthew Field, Kate Leadbetter) who were tragically killed while walking along the street, they don’t talk about these other people that have died on the side of the road from stolen vehicles getting around and that and that irks me,” the officer said.
“It needs to change.”
Under the current chase policy introduced in 2008 pursuing of vehicles by police is not permitted unless officers reasonably believe an offender could create a threat to life.
A chase can also be authorised if an offender has committed murder, or has issued threats to kill a person, and has the capacity to carry out the threat, or has committed an indictable offence.
Changes to Queensland law would bring the Sunshine State in line with NSW where pursuits may be undertaken by police if a person who has been directed to stop their motor vehicle, fails to do so.
In Western Australia the Police Union earlier this year called for a ban on car chases from its members until the policies surrounding police pursuits are reviewed.
But in Victoria a 2015 law change only allowed pursuits when public safety was threatened or a serious offence was committed.
Defending the no-pursuit policy Police Minister Mark Ryan said in the nine years to 2009 when the chasing offenders was banned 22 deaths occurred during, or immediately following a police pursuit.
And between 2009 and July 2019, no deaths were attributed to police pursuits.
“Community safety is paramount. And the Queensland Police Service is dedicated to keeping people safe,” he said.
“Police advise they implemented a risk-based police pursuit policy, informed by recommendations from the Coroner, to minimise the risk of endangering the community, while giving police the ability to commence a pursuit in appropriate circumstances.”
As part of the 2024 election campaign, LNP leader David Crisafulli committed to finding a “balance” between safety and allowing officers to undertake vehicle pursuits.
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Originally published as Call for change amid youth crims’ mockery of Qld law enforcement
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