POLICE officers are to receive better protection when they are involved in pursuits after a review of legislation planned for December.<\/p>\n
The Police Federation of England and Wales has been campaigning to change the laws around police driving for years. And last month it was revealed that the law surrounding police pursuits and response driving will be changed.<\/p>\n
Policing Minister Nick Hurd outlined that the review will involve the Department for Transport, the Department of Health, the Attorney General\u2019s Office and the IPCC, as well as the relevant National Policing Leads, the Police Federation, representatives of the other emergency services and groups representing other road users.<\/p>\n
The move was welcomed by South Yorkshire Police Federation, which said police officers have a right to expect proper protection when they carry out pursuits or drive quickly.<\/p>\n
Zuleika Payne, Federation Chair, said: \u201cThe public have a legitimate expectation that when there is a crisis, police officers will respond. It is important that we equip officers by giving them the appropriate level of training needed to handle those situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf an officer were to respond to an incident \u2013 bearing in mind our duty to protect life and property, the prevention and detection of crime \u2013 then time is of the essence so it\u2019s crucial that officers make safe, steady progress to get to the incident that they have been called to.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe concern is that if the officer doesn\u2019t and there is some catastrophic consequence at the other end, the officer would then be heavily criticised for this. We really need to be clear on this and we really need to support the officers that we are making that demand of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Criminals have been taking advantage of the lack of protection for police officers, according to recent news reports, and the recent spike in moped related crime has been sighted as a key factor for the review.<\/p>\n
Zuleika added: \u201cOfficers are trained to an incredibly high standard. This isn\u2019t just about going out and driving recklessly and dangerously for the sake of it. Officers are trying to get to an incident to protect an individual or prevent a situation, it\u2019s really important that we maintain the professionalism, secure the training and equip our officers to do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n