Law change needed or advice to police drivers may change

THE training police response and pursuit drivers receive must be recognised in Government legislation, the PFEW has demanded.

And unless that changes, the advice given to police drivers by the Federation around how they pursue suspects may have be different.

Currently officers are breaking the law every single time they are required to drive outside the common legal standard of a ‘careful and competent driver’.

It means they can be prosecuted under the same standards applied to the public.

Speaking at the PFEW’S National Roads Policing Conference in Leicestershire, PFEW Chairman John Apter said officers have been left at the mercy of legislation for far too long.

“The Federation has been arguing for over seven years that police officers should have legal protection, in the right circumstances, from the careless and dangerous driving standard,” he said.

“The Home Office and Government accepts the rationale and has committed to act, but we are still waiting on the findings of the consultation, and importantly a timeline of action,” he said.

“With every day that passes, police officers are continuing to risk their liberty and livelihood just for doing their job.

“My colleagues are trained to the highest levels in pursuit and response driving. Their only intention is to bring offenders to justice and to keep the public safe.

“Sadly, the law offers them absolutely no protection in doing what they have been trained to do. This is an untenable position, and the time has come for this to change.

“The Government has backed us into a corner where we may now have to reconsider the advice we are giving. As a police officer this saddens me, but this is not of our making.

“Such drastic action can be avoided, and I urge the Government to act now – stop procrastinating and recognise pursuit and response driver training in legislation.”

Mr Apter added he was disappointed that the Transport Minister decided not to attend the conference at short notice.

“It would have been an ideal opportunity to redeem some ground with my colleagues,” he said.

“It would have been beneficial to use the platform to announce when the Government will change the legislation, they agree leaves our members vulnerable. Unfortunately, the Minister pulled out of attending only yesterday.”

The conference is taking the them ‘Officer Welfare Matters’ with issues around response drives, officer fatigue, trauma exposure, impartiality bias and contamination in evidence gathering all on the agenda.