WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

i posted a poll on the greneral scanning forum by mistake mission out on a few poll options re police aborting pursuits,i am just wondering what people think about police aborting pursuits

I think the current system is ok, the OIC at VKI (Inspector) normally give the call to abort, much to the disgust of the troopers in the field.

Safety takes priority.

juthe reason i ask this question wothout going into too much detail,i was listning to a very short pursuit tonight where the car being chassed went through a red light and the police vechle immediatly aborted the pursuit,i can see both sides of the question however if people know when they are being chassed by police all they have to do is go through a red light or go down the wrong way down the street and we dont want them to think that they have a free thrill on our roads

Yea I guess that sends a sad message out, but at the end of the day id rather have a copper go home to his family, they'll get them another day.

the current system is kinda OK, but if i was in a chase, i would just run a red light and maybe change to the opposite side of the road, and im home free.

what do you think it would be like if the drivers decided? (not all the time)

At the end of the day the member in the car is calling the chase, if he thinks its safe then they will keep going. Sometimes it would be hard to abort in the head of the moment as you get tunnel vision, thats why its good that somebody who is not there makes the final decision.

why is it ok,for police to respond priority 2 and go through red lights etc. etc yet in a chase situation it is not ok?

Good Point mate...

scottwa2468 wrote:why is it ok,for police to respond priority 2 and go through red lights etc. etc yet in a chase situation it is not ok?

Perhaps it's because in a priority 2 response, the police are the only ones going through red lights.

In a pursuit, the car being chased may be more inclined to take extra risks such as running a red light, that they may not take if they weren't being chased.

I'm not saying that's what would happen, just what the powers-that-be perhaps think *might* happen ...

(Edit: Spelling)

why should police abort pursuits when this happens,it gives the criminals the impression that they can get away with the crime by going through red lights,speeding etc. etc.

The ultimate aim is to preserve life - this goes for any emergency service. Driving in such a dangerous manner is completely contrary to this aim (and the law, strangely enough!).

well then thats make it that police never go through red lights,that police never hold fireamrs and the list goes on and on,i am fed up like many australians of crime and believe that there should be no tollerance to crime

Sure, crime is a bad thing, but there is NO excuse for putting FURTHER people at risk. Sounds like you've got quite a bit to learn about life and how precious it is. The whole emergency services thing isnt a picnic or some big fun game, like you seem to think.. nor is it something to be glorified (and before you say anything, I do speak with some authority and knowledge). I certainly wouldnt put my life at risk trying to catch someone that has run a red light - and I sure as hell wouldnt expect anyone else to either. I guess its a case of put up, or shut up

I think the point is, where do you draw the line? The police are in effect the "guardians of society" for want of a better term. If their actions put other innocent members of society at risk, then I don't think that makes them very good guardians..

Yes, people who are driving dangerously and refusing to stop need to be chased and caught. There's often a very good reason why they are trying to get away from the police in the first place.

However the police should only chase when it's relatively safe to do so. They are trained in urgent duty driving, so I think it's less risky for them than it would be for a regular member of the public, but the risk is still there.

Once the risk to society in damage to life and property outweighs the benefits to society of catching the baddies, it's time to stop chasing. I believe that the people who are best in that position to make such a decision are the police officers in the pursuing car.