Kiri Gillespie: Changes to police pursuit policy overdue

New Zealand Police will be reviewing their approach to fleeing drivers after new figures reveal more offenders getting away without being identified. Photo / NZME

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A bit like Sam Cooke’s 1963 classic A Change is Gonna Come, police have signalled a significant rethink is on the horizon for police pursuits.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has announced its police pursuit policy will be reviewed next year and a fleeing driver framework will be introduced.

Good.

The policy was changed in 2020 to prioritise safety over the immediate apprehension of a driver, following a string of high-profile injuries and deaths.

In the Bay of Plenty, a driver fleeing police crashed through an Ōtumoetai bedroom, narrowly avoiding a sleeping couple. In Whakatāne, a police officer was injured by a fleeing driver while laying down road spikes. An officer was also hurt while responding to a pursuit in the Kaimai Range.

Those changes tightened the rules by which officers could pursue offenders.

Coster said since the changes were introduced they had seen a significant increase in fleeing driver events and a significant decrease in the proportion of offenders identified.

Data also shows a decrease in the number of fatalities during fleeing driver events.

However, there was also a perception that offenders were more brazen and more willing to take risks, Coster said.

Coster said the fleeing driver framework that was being prepared would provide clarity for staff on when a pursuit may be justified, including the weight given to the threat of further harm if the offenders are not apprehended immediately.

In an email to staff, Coster said the revisions “will bring us back to a more balanced position, while still prioritising the safety of officers and the public.”

I believe such a rebalancing is sorely needed.

Given the number of offenders identified has fallen since the 2020 change, it seems clear more offenders are getting away with crime.

In my view, we might as well wave them a polite goodbye as they tear off down the street - laughing all the way to their black market bank.

We can’t let that continue.

Of course, public safety should be paramount in these high-risk situations but I believe there also needs to be a clear message that you can’t flee the police without facing the consequences.

Details of what the new framework will involve are light, for now, but news of its arrival next year is encouraging nonetheless.

So buckle up crims, a change is gonna come.