“Quick and urgent” update to police driver law needed

POLICE drivers need better protection in law “quickly and urgently”, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said, after the Government “neglected” changes to legislation that would enable them to better do their job.

Under existing legislation emergency responders who drive outside of the careful and competent driver legal standard can be jailed for dangerous driving. In addition officers could be subjected to gross misconduct proceedings.Work that had been going on with the Department of Transport and the Home Office to change this has stalled in parliament due to Brexit negotiations.

Steve Kent, South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman, said: “The Government has neglected this. It’s almost like they’ve shelved this while they perceive they have got bigger things to deal with. But this is literally affecting the way the police work operationally. This is about protecting peoples’ livelihoods.

“Advanced police drivers go on an eight-month training course. We say we’re holding them to the same standard of driving as somebody that’s passed a normal driving test. It’s absolutely ludicrous. So yes, we need some protection from the law. We need it very quickly and urgently.”

Steve used the example in the capital around tactics involving moped chases, adding: “Our colleagues in the Met need protection as well for their tactics around mopeds which is huge and it’s vitally important they do it because again the public back us in doing it.

“So we need to have that sort of protection and it should be a matter of urgency. Yes, Brexit is going on but no one’s telling me that they can’t look at this as a side issue and get this sorted.”

The Home Office has reassured police officers that they will not be prosecuted for pursuit drives, but this guarantee amounts to nothing more than “warm words” and has no meaning, a legal expert told delegates at this year’s Police Federation of England and Wales’ Roads Policing Conference.

Steve added: “Our force has said it will support officers in terms of going through that process, however, our force doesn’t have any control over what happens in the courts.

“So warm words are not good enough; there needs to be action. I think we’ve got a broad, common sense, public support behind us in that we need to do our jobs, but until this is clarified officers need to be conscious of the risks and aware of the risks, and aware that they are constantly risk assessing everything they do as they go about their business. At the moment we are in this limbo because the courts still haven’t got definitive measures to be able to back us. It’s as simple as that.”