If this was by the book, it's time to rewrite the book
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday March 23, 2010
High-speed police pursuits belong in movies, not on public roads ("Fury as family dies after high-speed police chase", March 22). How many more innocent people are going to die before this unjustifiable practice is stopped? Surely it is better that a car thief escapes, probably only for a few hours or days, than to jeopardise the lives of anyone who happens to be in the way.Yes, the offending driver is primarily to blame, but simply increasing the penalty for this offence is clearly not going to help. Someone who is desperately on the run from the police for whatever reason is not going to consider the extra jail term, then decide to slow down or stop. With the resources and technologies available, there is no need for dangerous pursuits unless the offender is already posing a significant threat to the public.Over many years in the motor trade I have come across many young men who wanted to join the police highway patrol to satisfy their "need for speed" and adrenalin, though I am sure most police officers don't think or behave like that.Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione's pious attitude and belief that "his officers had acted appropriately" does no one any favours. He was not there and cannot have conducted a thorough investigation yet. If, as he believes, the officers involved did everything "by the book" then the book needs to be rewritten.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald