Opinion: Police not to blame for increased chases

I don't think I will ever feel sympathetic towards drivers who are selfish enough to flee from police.

A Rotorua Daily Post story recently showed the Bay of Plenty was the second worst area in New Zealand for police pursuits, behind Northland.

In the Bay of Plenty alone, there were 412 police pursuits in 2018; 212 of those were abandoned and 76 ended in crashes.

That's 412 occasions when one inconsiderate person took into their own hands the lives of everyone else on the road.

I, like thousands of others, head to work every day comfortable that my driving skills will allow me to reach my destination safely.

But when a person defies the law and forces a police chase, my driving skills are no longer the primary factor. My safety is no longer in my control.

Innocent people should not have to pay the price for somebody else's stupid decision to not stop for police.

Nationwide, police have engaged in more than 30,000 pursuits in the past 10 years, during which time 79 people were killed in related crashes.

Others have been killed in pursuit-related incidents, including police shootings, and hundreds, including those in the fleeing cars and the patrol cars chasing them, have been injured.

A significant review of pursuits was released earlier this month. Done by the police and Independent Police Conduct Authority, the review made no radical changes and stated the practice would not be banned or pared back in any way.

In my opinion, that was the right conclusion.

It is not the police who should be shouldering the blame for the deadly outcomes of some pursuits.

They're just doing their job. Those fleeing from police are breaking the law.

As the Police Association Bay of Plenty director, Scott Thompson said, "only one party has the option of finalising [the pursuit] safely - the fleeing driver".

Everyone has made stupid decisions in their life, but fleeing police shouldn't even be considered an option when you see those flashing lights.