High Speed Police Pursuits - Your Thoughts?

[AWD Chaser]

Hi Guys,

Just reading the following articles about a high speed pursuit where police followed a teen and police where pursuing in speeds over 170kph in surburban streets. The teen ended up crashing and dying.

http://www.news.com.au/national/cops...-1226232318119

I understand that each state does have their own laws, but what is your opionion on High Speed Pursuits?

BTW: I have no affliation with law enforcement or decision making.

[FG_Frodza]

I think if people are stupid enough to run from the police then they are taking their life into their own hands, the police have a job to catch people doing the wrong thing.

They are the ones who make the decision to run from the police and do stupidly high speeds and they have to wear the consequences of their own actions, not the police.

[Kryton]

This is my opinion.
If the Police dont chase, youd get a lot more people just doing a runner.
Police have far superior driving skills than the average runner - its your choice to run - but be prepared to pay whatever the end cost may be.
No sympathy at all if you take yourself out.

[wodahs]

Originally Posted by davway

This is my opinion.
If the Police dont chase, youd get a lot more people just doing a runner.
Police have far superior driving skills than the average runner - its your choice to run - but be prepared to pay whatever the end cost may be.
No sympathy at all if you take yourself out.

totaly agree with davway

[pottery beige]

helicopter + missiles.. zap.. boom.. eat that bad dudes.....

[Jim Goose]

People may say "at what cost" but at the end of the day, Police need to do their jobs. If the criminals know police will call off a pursuit then crime will flourish as people know they can get away with it.

Last week there was that well publicised pursuit of a stolen BMW (?) where the crims had car jacked the car at gun point. Police tried spikes but the car ran onto the grass and a Camry (?) Police car then rammed the car into a ditch.

What needs to be amended is that the crims then need to be held liable for damages to all the vehicles/ public property because they refused to stop.

State governements also need (particularly QLD where the Gold Coast Council!! is funding a helicopter for Police, which is disgusting as its up to the state to provide this service) to fund more aerial assets, wether its drones, helicopters or fixed wing aircraft in order to provide eyes in the sky during a pursuit.

Calling off a pursuit because of high speed doesnt mean the crims slow down and drive like miss daisy, have seen plenty of footage from the USA where Police back away and the car just keeps going at high speed while being followed by a helicopter...

I am surprised these days that (at least in QLD) i see no nudge bars on Police cars (used to see a few up to around 10yrs ago), where as you see in those Kiwi Police shows cop cars are fitted with huge rubber bumpers to push cars off freeways to keep the traffic flowing.

[BHDOGS]

I agree with everything said in the thread this far u run u die ur problem

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

helicopter + missiles.. zap.. boom.. eat that bad dudes.....

There are days where I wish my car was equipped with missles (ala Bonds Aston Martin)......would make driving to work more fun.

[burnz]

shurly would be some development in microwave tech, that would disable the cars comps to end persuit's before they become dangerous.

[FG_Frodza]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

I agree with everything said in the thread this far u run u die ur problem

Yep pretty much.

[chevypower]

World's Wildest Police Videos would become pretty boring without those, so I say keep them just so I have some entertainment.

[FPV+fteT3]

Chase them I say nothing quite like the feeling of achievment getting the car home and in the garage sitting down for tea and no knock at the door= win!

[superfly]

Originally Posted by wodahs

totaly agree with davway

Me too.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by burnz

shurly would be some development in microwave tech, that would disable the cars comps to end persuit's before they become dangerous.

LOL fast and the furious type thing.

But I agree police should be able to use there own judgement to when call off a chase. If people knew they would not be chased, then a lot more cars would have false plates and people would be getting away with everything.

I say more funding to the police air wing, to get the chopper out more.

[Neale]

Originally Posted by FG_Frodza

I think if people are stupid enough to run from the police then they are taking their life into their own hands, the police have a job to catch people doing the wrong thing.

They are the ones who make the decision to run from the police and do stupidly high speeds and they have to wear the consequences of their own actions, not the police.

Totally agree.. Sad thing is that the cops get dragged over the coals when something happens because its treated the same as a death in custody.

A chase is a last resort because of this. Its just the same as them puling their gun.

There are times when the cops can get a numberplate fom an offending car & track them down later. But alot of the time the guys & girls doing the runner are in stolen cars.

[cheap]

In the interests of public safety, the Police helicopter should be equipped with .50 cal BMG (using incendiary rounds would be an added bonus). Film the pursuit, take out the baddies and make watching the film as part of the learner driver training and license renewal process.

Of course survivors can be made to explain their stupidity to new learner drivers too.

[TMC]

The police should be able to do the "pit manoeuvre" over here.

They should have 600HP monster engines that can run down a missile, and should never call off a chase unless they are running into a very populated area (eg street markets). Then the laws should be tightened right up and throw the book at them even if they are younger than 18. And yes, the criminals who get into high speed chases should be liable for ALL the damage they do.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by TMC

The police should be able to do the "pit manoeuvre" over here.

They should have 600HP monster engines that can run down a missile, and should never call off a chase unless they are running into a very populated area (eg street markets). Then the laws should be tightened right up and throw the book at them even if they are younger than 18. And yes, the criminals who get into high speed chases should be liable for ALL the damage they do.

Agreed!

[Brazen]

The older I get the more I feel that high speed pursuits should be banned. Nothing good comes from it.

There are other ways to catch a baddie rather than having a police Commodore fly down suburban streets at 120kmh.

What does often disgust me is that the police departments will hang the officers out to dry if something goes wrong. The police should stand by the officers when a fatal pursuit occurs rather than go on a coronial witchhunt. The government has their cake and eats it too, it allows high speed pursuits to occur but when something goes wrong it's suddenly the officer's fault for 'not following set procedure' or some other rubbish.

[RAPID_BA]

Hi,

I think the police should chase vehicles that run.

I dont care if the crim kills himself if they run.

The question is what if they t-bone some innocent person and kill them during the pursuit?

A few years back about 1am I was driving home and doing about 60km/h and from nowhere appeared this car behind me which swerved at the last second not to hit me in the rear and a cop car right after them. From memory it was an old magna doing about 130-150km/h and the police right on their tail.

Almost took me out, could have t boned someone easily if they drive through a cross street in a green light situation.

No sympathy for the crims but innocent people driving in the vicinity.

What can we do, if the coppers call off the chase then more will do the runner.

[z80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

The older I get the more I feel that high speed pursuits should be banned. Nothing good comes from it.

There are other ways to catch a baddie rather than having a police Commodore fly down suburban streets at 120kmh.

What does often disgust me is that the police departments will hang the officers out to dry if something goes wrong. The police should stand by the officers when a fatal pursuit occurs rather than go on a coronial witchhunt. The government has their cake and eats it too, it allows high speed pursuits to occur but when something goes wrong it's suddenly the officer's fault for 'not following set procedure' or some other rubbish.

Finally. a post I agree with.

Police chasing a crim at high speed is the same as Police firing live ammunition into a football crowd because someone has a knife.

The whole point is that it just makes the crims more and more desperate.

Innocent people usually get hurt, often as bystanders, often by the police.


There have been times where the police speed in suburban streets only to end in the police getting killed....

Often it is just stupid kids out for a joy ride...not reason enough to chase them to death.


I cannot see any event that would justify police breaking speed limits that often exceed 120km/h in suburban streets.

And no, they aren't the world's best drivers that's why they crash too.

[Rodge]

After reviewing all the options my instinct was to vote for more air support needed but who pays ??

How many people realise the charter rate for a typical Aerospatiele AS 350B Squirrel, commonly used is circa $2,000 per hour ?
Even if the Police buy them they're circa $2million new and then still cost around $600-700 per flight hour to run, (above figures are for a single turbine version), twin engined versions are considerably more expensive.

Those sort of running costs puts lots more cop cars on the beat, so to speak.

I reckon just equip the cops with better and faster cars either F6's or SC GT's and chase the bloody morons. If word gets out that Police will cease high speed chase's in certain circumstances it'll be game-on for every moron or criminal and their dogs.
I think in cases where helicopters are used the criminal should be made to pay the cost of them.

[TMC]

I think the point of chasing a car should be to stop it, whatever it takes, rather than to just follow the car to "see where it goes". Shoot a back tyre out, "pit manoeuvre" the thing. Then make gaol a place no one wants to go.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Rodge

After reviewing all the options my instinct was to vote for more air support needed but who pays ??

How many people realise the charter rate for a typical Aerospatiele AS 350B Squirrel, commonly used is circa $2,000 per hour ?
Even if the Police buy them they're circa $2million new and then still cost around $600-700 per flight hour to run, (above figures are for a single turbine version), twin engined versions are considerably more expensive.

Those sort of running costs puts lots more cop cars on the beat, so to speak.

I reckon just equip the cops with better and faster cars either F6's or SC GT's and chase the bloody morons. If word gets out that Police will cease high speed chase's in certain circumstances it'll be game-on for every moron or criminal and their dogs.

While a helicopter is expensive to run (Your $2000 per hr seems high but in any case thats a "hire" rate in which a charter company must make a profit and pay the pilot), in the end a single helicopter can co-ordinate a pursuit and advise units on the ground where to best set up road blocks and spike strips etc... an eye in the sky with FLIR and a Night Sun will be able to find where the crooks are hiding once they bail and start running at night.

The premise that its "not worth" chasing crims doesnt take into account the fact that crooks will know they can do what they please.
What if someone decides to go on a rampage in a car and decides to simply ram all the cars on the street? No pursuit then? Just let him continue on?

What about a drink driver who fails to stop at an RBT?
Just let him go about his business?

Or armed crims who just robbed a bank and shot a guard?
sure why not let him go.. its all good.

Sorry the arguement "its not worth it" doesnt play and never will.

Police chasing a crim at high speed is the same as Police firing live ammunition into a football crowd because someone has a knife.

absolutely absurd arguement... you can turn that around and say, what if a gunman was in a crowd shooting innocent people, what then? The Police should remain still and not react?

[GS608]

High speed pursuit policy is too restricted as it is. More often than not supervisors call off pursuits..half the time they aren't even allowed to pursue. People saying let them go and get them later doesn't fly, what if the crim continues on at break neck speeds and kills an innocent family? The police will be roasted by the public with cries of where were you! Throw nudge bars on all patrol cars and allow the PIT manoeuvre to be used. It's a quick and relatively safe method of ending a pursuit instantly.

[Windsor342ci]

Like most, I believe high speed pursuits are needed truth is, if it wasnt avali, it would give crims more chance to get away forever.

Im voted for further air support! Not to stopthe pursuits though, but rather to give a greater chance to catching crims aswel as pursuits.

[wrongwaynorris]

Agree wholeheartedly with what 90% of people are saying in here. The instant crims and or idiots realise the police will call off a pursuit if things get a little risky all they are going to do is hit the throttle earlier . This imbecile took himself out , thats a good thing for society and where they take out innocent people charge them with first degree murder and Gaol them for LIFE with NO PAROLE . They make a conscious decision to run , at that point they should be held 100% responsible for ANYTHING that comes of the pursuit .

[RAPID_BA]

many many years back... mid 90s when every set of lights was a grand prix and anyone who had a v8 was expected to cross it up when they turned right..

I come round the roundabout and planted by old worked VS 5.0.. fishtailed it up the road and a copper coming the opposite way saw me and flashed his lights.. He had to go all the way round this roundabout so i thought Ill do the runner.

Left right, left right, straight, up the hill, round the bend, left and right again, surely id lost him. Stopped and parked the car on a quiet suburban street. A few seconds later a cop car comes sliding full drifting, **** end hanging out round the corner, kept the boot in it and he pulls up along side me...

I thought how the hell did he catch me. Bloody good drivers some of those coppers. He gave me a real heavy caution but let me off.. Since then Id never drove like a fool again, a good 15 years now.

[Windsor342ci]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

many many years back... mid 90s when every set of lights was a grand prix and anyone who had a v8 was expected to cross it up when they turned right..

I come round the roundabout and planted by old worked VS 5.0.. fishtailed it up the road and a copper coming the opposite way saw me and flashed his lights.. He had to go all the way round this roundabout so i thought Ill do the runner.

Left right, left right, straight, up the hill, round the bend, left and right again, surely id lost him. Stopped and parked the car on a quiet suburban street. A few seconds later a cop car comes sliding full drifting, **** end hanging out round the corner, kept the boot in it and he pulls up along side me...

I thought how the hell did he catch me. Bloody good drivers some of those coppers. He gave me a real heavy caution but let me off.. Since then Id never drove like a fool again, a good 15 years now.

Hulk you rebel.... I would never of thought...

[Auslandau]

I reckon there should be no police chases allowed!! After all, we need more crims doing what ever they want and to whomever while the police should have all their judgements and rights rights removed, sacked and jailed if they decide to apprehend or even, heaven forebid, do their job! After all, it's the crims of the world that need the protection from themselves.