A \u2018CATALOGUE of shame\u2019 has left police drivers finding themselves on the wrong side of the law, a session on roads policing at the PFEW conference has heard.<\/p>\n
New legislation means police drivers will be able to use their training and expertise in pursuits and be appropriately protected in law, but this is dependent on them having up-to-date training.<\/p>\n
Extra protection for police drivers was included in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill after a lengthy campaign by the Federation.<\/p>\n
The new law takes into account officers\u2019 advanced driver training \u2013 meaning they will no longer be judged against a \u2018careful and competent\u2019 driving member of the public. However, any manoeuvre performed must be within their training.<\/p>\n
Tim Rogers, PFEW National Lead for Pursuits and Driver Training, described a \u201ccatalogue of shame where officers were on the wrong side of the law, embroiled in lengthy criminal and misconduct investigations which have caused untold stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in a better position because we campaigned for eight years. It\u2019s a major achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon Hill, from Metropolitan Police Federation, acknowledged that officers do expect to be scrutinised when things go wrong.<\/p>\n
He told delegates: \u201cWe understand there is a requirement for us to be scrutinised when things don\u2019t go right, the whole misconduct process must have confidence from the public and police officers alike in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describing a case that he was involved in where a driver faced criminal charges, he added: \u201cA note was passed from the jurors to the judge, stating they were embarrassed to be prosecuting a police driver for doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, National Lead for Police Driving, emphasised that the new law would only protect drivers if their training is up to date.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIf some people in your forces have slipped out of date, or forces are behind, I would argue this needs to be put on the top of the list, because it\u2019s an area of high frequency and high risk. It is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The session heard that police driver training would be valid for five years, and would be standardised across England and Wales. The panel also discussed whether also discussed whether police driving schools could be licensed in a similar way to firearms trainers.<\/p>\n