Police pursuit drivers 'take risks'

Police drivers are taking "unnecessary risks" during high-speed chases, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has said.It warned that officers are failing to follow guidelines and may even be unaware of them.The IPCC report also uncovered evidence that some drivers misled senior officers, claiming they were not in a pursuit when inspectors later found they "clearly were".It also found examples of inappropriate vehicles such as 4x4s and vans being used in chases.Guidelines published three years ago stated that such vehicles should not be deployed because of their limited handling.Officials examined 275 incidents which took place between April 2004 and September last year which led to 115 deaths and 273 injuries.The report advised that black box data recorders similar to those used in aircraft should be fitted to all police vehicles.It said officers should not pursue suspects riding motorcycles unless they believe a serious crime has been committed.The IPCC report added that police guidelines should cover what officers must do if a target vehicle drives the wrong way down a motorway.And said that police must come up with better plans to resolve chases before starting them.On Monday, an elderly Irish couple were among five people killed when their car was hit by another vehicle travelling the wrong way along a motorway after being pursued by police.The collision, which happened on the M4 in Newport, south Wales, is currently being investigated by the IPCC.James and Bridget Stafford, who were in their early 70s, were driving home from a holiday when a red Ford Mondeo being driven in the wrong direction collided with their Volvo 940.Three men in the Mondeo were also pronounced dead at the scene. The only survivor of the crash, an 18-year-old man travelling in the Mondeo, remains in a critical condition at the Royal Gwent Hospital with multiple fractures.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | September 18, 2007

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