Mick Fuller warns against banning police chases
THE state’s top cop says banning cops from speeding gives the “green light” to criminals after another horror smash linked to a police chase. POLL: Should police stop chasing?
NSW
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THE state’s top cop says banning cops from speeding gives the “green light” to criminals after another horror smash linked to a police chase.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller issued the stark warning following an incident in which a man crashed his car into a tree on Thursday night after officers halted their pursuit. The 22-year-old, in a Mazda hatchback, was chased for a short period along the M1 near Tweed Heads. Police abandoned the pursuit but later found the wrecked car.
The driver was rushed to hospital but later died.
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The crash came just hours after renowned racing identity Bert Vieira called for an end to dangerous police chases, after a Highway Patrol officer was charged over the Cronulla crash that left Mr Vieira’s wife Gai in a coma.
Police allege the officer was following a driver who was using their mobile phone at the wheel when he T-boned Mrs Vieira while allegedly travelling at 124km/h without lights and sirens on.
But Mr Fuller warned there would be serious consequences for restricting police chases and “urgent duty”.
“If you’re at home alone and someone’s breaking into your house and you call triple-0, you don’t care about policy, you don’t care about red tape, you want the police to get there quickly and safely to protect you,” he said.
“You can ban the pursuit. You can stop us from urgent duties … if that’s the community’s view and that’s the politicians’ view then that’s OK but there are consequences … Criminals will be green-lighted.”
Mr Fuller said NSW Police is also considering new technology allowing police to remotely shut down the engines of cars officers are pursuing.
The debate went national yesterday when Queensland constable Peter McCaulay was hit by a speeding allegedly stolen car while deploying road spikes near Ipswich.
Two teenagers have been charged over the incident and Const McCaulay remains in an induced coma.
The Queensland Police Union called for all new cars to be fitted with remote “engine immobilisers” and the state’s police force wants the power to cut power to cars involved in police pursuits.
“That technology is still developing. We are watching it closely,” Mr Fuller said.
“If it becomes available of course I would go to the government and seek it and I have no doubt, if it was in the interest of public safety, that we would deliver that.”
Minister for Home Affairs and former police officer Peter Dutton yesterday called for a review to establish national chase rules.