By PAUL MILLAR
GEELONG’S growing number of police pursuits are not worth the risk or trauma, according to a veteran road safety expert.
John Lambert has long campaigned for an end to police pursuits in Victoria, unless the chase involves serious criminal matters.
His latest call for restraint followed reports that local police pursuits had spiralled from 58 in 2010/2011 to 104 in 2013/2014.
“Once a pursuit starts the die is set and the crash rate is 3500 times higher than normal driving,” the Wandana Heights engineer said.
Mr Lambert said up to 80 per cent of drivers involved in police pursuits were impaired under the influence of drugs or alcohol and in many cases both substances. Many were also young, inexperienced drivers.
Mr Lambert said one in 10,000 drivers tried to flee police but at least one in 300 pursuits ended in a fatality.
One in seven chases ended in a car crash, one in 20 of which caused serious injury.
Mr Lambert said innocent victims comprised up to 40 per cent of people killed or injured in police pursuits, with half of them passengers.
Pursuing stolen cars or drivers who had committed minor infringements was not worth the effort, he said.
“Police pursuits should be abandoned as an option in almost all cases.”
A state coroner last year mirrored Mr Lambert’s call for fewer police pursuits.
John Olle urged police against pursuing drivers unless they were suspected of the most serious crimes.
He called for restraint after finding that experienced police officers failed to consider safety issues in chases that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers.
The Coroner, conducting an inquest into the deaths of two teenagers, in Melbourne in 2006 and 2009, said it appeared police had failed to ask themselves what would happen if they did not stop the drivers of the cars they were pursuing.
Mr Olle said police should not be banned altogether from engaging in pursuits, provided they only gave chase when the most serious of crimes were involved and in the knowledge that someone had been or was about to be harmed.
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He recommended that police should not initiate car chases simply because drivers were trying to avoid arrest.
Geelong Inspector Gary Thompson said police were now more aware of the dangers of pursuits and called them off if they perceived any danger to life.
“However, it seems as if the risk taking behaviour of offenders is also on the increase,’’ Insp Thompson said.
Police often had enough information to later track down drivers who managed to escape, he said.
