NSW police are grossly overrepresented in recently released national police pursuit data, showing NSW police engage in police chases almost 2.5 times as often as their nearest jurisdiction of Victoria. The study also shows that more than one in three deaths from police pursuits are of innocent passengers or bystanders. The research in the Australian Institute of Criminology report on police motor vehicle pursuits is matched by new data received by the Greens from parliamentary questions. The figures also reveals a significant over-representation of Indigenous Australians killed in police chases. In 2011 NSW police undertook 1781 police pursuits while Victorian police chased 721 times and Queensland police undertook just 286 pursuits. Figures obtained by the Greens in NSW Parliament show that this trend continued in 2012, with NSW police undertaking 1622 pursuits from January 1-November 28, 2012. The national study shows that across Australia more than half of all offenders who are killed in police pursuits were being pursued for drink driving or other traffic related offences. However the situation in NSW is far more troubling with the figures provided to the Greens showing that more than 75 per cent of all police pursuits in this State are for traffic offences or failure to stop at an RBT. Nationally, in almost 90 per cent of cases where toxicology reports were available, the research shows that the driver who was killed in the pursuit was affected by alcohol or other drugs. This is not just a city issue – almost half of all fatal police pursuits occur in rural or remote locations. The NSW Police Minister needs to take a good hard look at these figures and account for why NSW Police are escalating traffic offences to high speed chases – increasing the risk of serious injury or death to the drivers, passengers, police and innocent bystanders. The Greens support a balanced approach to this issue with less pursuits but also consideration of increased penalties for drivers who seek to flee from police or evade an RBT stop. It is well and truly time that the NSW police considered the kind of reforms to police pursuits that have been so successful in other jurisdictions such as Queensland and Miami Dade county in the US. These jurisdictions have adopted a more restrictive pursuits policy recognising that the costs of pursuits in injuries, damage, financial costs and liability suits far outweigh the benefits in terms of arresting offenders, deterrence and crime control. The fact that offending drivers are impaired by drugs and alcohol presents not only a risk to themselves but also greatly increases the risks to innocent bystanders, passengers and police in any police chase. A police pursuit should only be undertaken on the basis of the seriousness of the initial alleged offence, rather than on subsequent traffic violations. The statistics regarding Indigenous deaths in police car chases are yet another sign that our criminal justice system is failing indigenous Australians. The large number of police chases in the regions is also reflected in the unacceptably high level of Indigenous Australians killed in police chases. From a population base of just 2.5 per cent of the population Indigenous Australians make up 17 per cent of all deaths in police pursuits. This means Indigenous Australians are almost seven times as likely to be killed in a police chase as non-Indigenous Australians. David Shoebridge is a Greens member in the NSW Upper House.
NSW police are grossly overrepresented in recently released national police pursuit data, showing NSW police engage in police chases almost 2.5 times as often as their nearest jurisdiction of Victoria. The study also shows that more than one in three deaths from police pursuits are of innocent passengers or bystanders.
The research in the Australian Institute of Criminology report on police motor vehicle pursuits is matched by new data received by the Greens from parliamentary questions. The figures also reveals a significant over-representation of Indigenous Australians killed in police chases.
In 2011 NSW police undertook 1781 police pursuits while Victorian police chased 721 times and Queensland police undertook just 286 pursuits.
Figures obtained by the Greens in NSW Parliament show that this trend continued in 2012, with NSW police undertaking 1622 pursuits from January 1-November 28, 2012.
The national study shows that across Australia more than half of all offenders who are killed in police pursuits were being pursued for drink driving or other traffic related offences.
However the situation in NSW is far more troubling with the figures provided to the Greens showing that more than 75 per cent of all police pursuits in this State are for traffic offences or failure to stop at an RBT.
Nationally, in almost 90 per cent of cases where toxicology reports were available, the research shows that the driver who was killed in the pursuit was affected by alcohol or other drugs.
This is not just a city issue – almost half of all fatal police pursuits occur in rural or remote locations.
The NSW Police Minister needs to take a good hard look at these figures and account for why NSW Police are escalating traffic offences to high speed chases – increasing the risk of serious injury or death to the drivers, passengers, police and innocent bystanders.
The Greens support a balanced approach to this issue with less pursuits but also consideration of increased penalties for drivers who seek to flee from police or evade an RBT stop.
It is well and truly time that the NSW police considered the kind of reforms to police pursuits that have been so successful in other jurisdictions such as Queensland and Miami Dade county in the US.
These jurisdictions have adopted a more restrictive pursuits policy recognising that the costs of pursuits in injuries, damage, financial costs and liability suits far outweigh the benefits in terms of arresting offenders, deterrence and crime control.
The fact that offending drivers are impaired by drugs and alcohol presents not only a risk to themselves but also greatly increases the risks to innocent bystanders, passengers and police in any police chase.
A police pursuit should only be undertaken on the basis of the seriousness of the initial alleged offence, rather than on subsequent traffic violations.
The statistics regarding Indigenous deaths in police car chases are yet another sign that our criminal justice system is failing indigenous Australians.
The large number of police chases in the regions is also reflected in the unacceptably high level of Indigenous Australians killed in police chases.
From a population base of just 2.5 per cent of the population Indigenous Australians make up 17 per cent of all deaths in police pursuits.
This means Indigenous Australians are almost seven times as likely to be killed in a police chase as non-Indigenous Australians.
David Shoebridge is a Greens member in the NSW Upper House.
