Fatal accidents from Police chases

[Gromit]

About 40 deaths related to police pursuits occur a year, the Independent Police Complaints Commission says today.

Most accidents involved young male drivers under the influence of drink or drugs. Most police chases were triggered by traffic offences.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7000318.stm

Yesterday 5 people were killed on the M4 when the police were persuing young people in a car.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/09/17/ncrash217.xml

The IPCC is calling for new rules to be introduced, where as the police are calling for less redtape and bureaucracy.

It is worth noting that more police died in road accidents last year than at the hands of terrorists or criminals.

Do you agree the present system is unacceptable.

[Goodsoulette]

I do agree. I was once walking through a quiet Somerset town, with my 6 week old baby in a snug/papoose thing. The police were chasing a car through the town and forced it to drive on the pavement coming in my direction. I had to jump over a wall (it was only a couple of feet high) but had I had the buggy instead we would have been dead. I was doubly horrified to see the police pursue the chase on the pavement and it continued this way until at least the end of that road.

[China Doll]

I think that they need to have a re-look at how they track/chase vehicals yes. )It doesn't all have to be done via hot pursuit car chases).

Not because I have a particularly high tolerence level for people who drink and/or take drugs while driving.

I would just rather not risk the safety of the police officers or other road users.

I doubt we'll have lost cure for cancer if the ones they're chasing end up brain dead.

[1rovert]

I would suggest the police do what the americans do, follow the criminals at a reasonable speed until they are out of town, then run them off the road, preferably into a wall or solid tree. I think the police should not be blamed, if these mindless drivers, left other peoples property alone, these accidents wouldn't happen.

[4getmenot]

yesterday the police did not follow these people down the M4, I think they did the right thing, although people did die this could have made matters alot worse, was not police' fault that these idiots went the wrong way.

[andrea81]

I do wonder what other methods can be used, I haven't ever seen any other methods used so I really can't comment on how, but I'm sure something can be thought of other than hot persuit!

I do say however that it's such a tragedy when innocent people are killed or injured as a result of these idiots! I have no sympathy for any of them, just the families who's lives have been ruined!

[chompu]

Makes you wonder how independent the Police Complaints Commission is, implying that the police may be at fault before they can have had chance to investigate.
Do we really need this organisation whose sole intent seems to try and place some blame on the police whatever the incident.
We have a perfectly adequate system ie the Coroners court
whose decisions are reached by a jury from the members of the public.
All police forces conduct pursuits by the advisory guidelines.To make it more restrictive and compulsory is inviting more deaths and injury to innocent bystanders.It isn't always young men in stolen vehicles under the influence. A notable exception on the M4 a couple of years ago was the pursuit of the offender who abducted the little girl from her bath and raped her. ' I'm sorry HQ I can't follow him because I'll be outside the compulsory guidelines' If that's the way the liberals among us wish to protect the rights of the criminal then good luck to you and I hope none of your friends or relatives get killed or injured by these idiots.