New Zealand Police Pursuits Review - July 2010

The New Zealand Police Pursuits Review is the fourth review of the Police pursuits policy undertaken.
 
Download a full copy of the Police Pursuits Policy Review [PDF 588KB]

Supportive research

This review takes into account the previous work undertaken in regard to pursuits and how they are managed. It examines international research and how it can be applied in a New Zealand context. The review also acknowledges where improvements can be made in the policy and assesses how other jurisdictions deal with this complex area of policing. From both the research analysis and assessment of the policies obtained for this report, a number of recommendations have been made, which, if adopted, will further enhance the policy, and ensure that the risks involved in a pursuit are mitigated as much as possible.
 
Police powers
Pursuits are initiated for one simple reason: a driver knowingly fails to comply with a Police officer's request to stop. Police exercise their power to stop a vehicle on a daily basis, and only a very small minority fail to comply. However, this small minority endanger the lives of members of the public, Police staff, themselves and their passengers.
 
Complex debate
Pursuits pose a complex policy problem for Police, who endeavour to balance the needs of law enforcement with public safety. The debate regarding the benefit of pursuits versus the risks pursuits pose is not unique to New Zealand. Overseas jurisdictions are also reviewing their policies to determine whether their pursuit practice is as robust and as safe as possible.

There is the irony in wishing to stop a vehicle because of concerns for the safety of other road users, versus engaging in a pursuit that increases the risks associated with wanting to stop the vehicle in the first place. This makes pursuits difficult to manage from an organisational viewpoint.

 
Should Police continue to pursue offenders?
There is insufficient evidence to support the banning of pursuits. It is not likely to
improve or guarantee public safety, and it is questionable whether the community would support a policy that allows offenders to flee Police with little or no consequences.
 
Banning pursuits has the potential to create a level of lawlessness within the community. If criminals know that Police will not pursue them, or have so many restrictions placed on them it renders pursuits futile, then the job of Police to uphold the law not only becomes difficult, but almost impossible. Police have a duty of care to all road users, and the policy needs to ensure that the risks involved in undertaking pursuits are balanced with the need to protect the public and staff members.
 
The pursuit management section of the report identifies where enhancements should be made to ensure the framework is robust, clear and easily applicable to an operational environment. These include:
  • Amending the responsibilities of the Police passenger to abandon a pursuit if they are senior in rank or service, or have a higher Professional Police Driver Programme(PPDP) classification;
  • Including role specific training to all staff involved in pursuits, especially pursuit controllers;
  • Introducing primary and secondary units with specific roles and responsibilities during a pursuit, such as the secondary vehicle taking over the pursuit commentary if required;
  • Continuing with the introduction of hands-free radios in operational vehicles;
  • Introducing strategies to limit the number of vehicles in a pursuit - this includes encouraging units in the vicinity to head to key sites in the area that offenders may head to;
  • Amending the current wording regarding the use of force in the legislative section and how it relates to pursuit activity;
  • Extending the abandonment criteria;
  • Introducing a search phase into policy and procedure, post-abandonment or when a vehicle is lost;
  • Amending the current policy to reflect the procedure when the Aerial Surveillance Unit (ASU) is involved in a pursuit;
  • Amending the communication procedure to include a prompt regarding the activation of lights and sirens during a pursuit; and
  • Amending the policy to state that a pursuit is to be abandoned once an offender’s identity becomes known and apprehension may be effected later, so long as there is no immediate threat to staff or public safety.
Conclusion
The area of pursuits is complex and there are many issues that need to be considered. Those covered in this report are by no means exhaustive, but are considered to be the most significant in terms of potential risk or harm to staff and others. The recommendations made in this report are designed to enhance the policy, and provide assurance to the wider community that Police have mitigated the risks involved in pursuits.
 
Download a full copy of the Police Pursuits Policy Review [PDF 588KB]
If you are unable to download this, please contact the Road Policing Communications Manager.