Kerre Woodham: Fleeing drivers will keep getting away with it until we draw a line in the sand

Well wouldn't you know it, over the last few days, all of a sudden, the Government has become concerned about the victims of crime. Not just trying to love the ones who commit it into submission.  

The focus seems to have switched. The police too are saying they're focused on catching criminals and what's more, they prepared to do tough things to catch them. Quite the seismic shift.  

Police top brass have announced they'll be reviewing their fleeing driver policy after officers reported feeling frustrated and powerless to stop suspects, once those aforementioned suspects were behind the wheel of a car, stolen or otherwise.  

In a shocking narrative twist I bet you didn't see coming, police data shows there's been an increase in fleeing drivers and a decrease and identifying those drivers! Shock me to my very core!

In the four months after the policy was introduced, police laid charges in 42 percent of cases. In the four years before the policy was changed, police caught about 70 percent of drivers. Colour me shocked. The failure to pursue fleeing drivers, though, has meant a reduction in crashes.  

I mean, basically, we have to decide, don't we?

There were a group of people who felt that too many car chases were resulting in deaths on the road. To be honest, I'm only really concerned about the innocents.

If you're the perp behind the wheel and you're thinking you're having the biggest thrill in the whole wide world, there are consequences. If you are driving a vehicle too fast, you have absolutely no control over it because you're giving one to the pigs and you crash. You know, I'm sure your family will morn you.

It's the innocents on the road that I'm really concerned about.  

I would hate to be a police officer watching kids who know the system, who know how to play the system, who know it better than your average lawyer giving it to me. Swaggering out to their stolen car and taking off. That would be soul-destroying.

So sure, change the policy.  

You tell people they can get away with it and they'll keep pushing. You tell people that oh, there are some consequences, but there aren’t that many, they’ll keep pushing it. It is just common nature. That's what they do. And that's what they've seen.

That they can get away with it, and so they will keep getting away with it until you draw a line in the sand and as a community you say no more, no more.

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