Police pursuits spiked to record high during lockdown

The number of police pursuits has spiked yet again, with the month of lockdown last year surprisingly the highest on record.

There's concern that new policy around fleeing drivers has made it too hard for police to tackle the problem. 

There are now more police pursuits on our roads than ever before and it's a problem the police association says is becoming too big.

"I don't think we've got a solution to it until technology allows us to remotely stop vehicles and disable them," Police Association president Chris Cahill told 1 NEWS.

"It's a real challenge. Of all the issues in policing, I think pursuits and failing to stop is one of the biggest. Right around the world, no one's found a good solution."

There were 2347 police pursuits per year when records began back in 2009.

It's climbed rapidly since. Incomplete data indicates 2020 will exceed 5000 cases, an average of almost 100 per week. 

"The criminals are playing it like a game and the criminals have won," Sensible Sentencing Trust's Darroch Ball says.

The month of April, during the first lockdown, saw the highest number of drivers ever flee from police — almost 500.

Cahill says it's "almost become a culture" to not stop for police.

"Knowing that if they drive at such a dangerous level police will have to pull out of these pursuits."

In December, police revised its pursuit policy.

Now it's only justified when the risk before a pursuit is higher than the risk of the chase itself. 

"It very likely will lead to more people choosing not to stop," Cahill says.

It's sparking concern police may have lost control.

"The police now have given up on pursuing fleeing drivers, it's not good enough," Ball says.

"The ideal solution is for the police to pursue these criminals to catch them and to make sure that they're held to account."

The threshold is now higher than ever for police to actively pursue fleeing drivers. but they say for those not caught at the time, attempts are made to find them later using CCTV footage, witnesses and through investigations.

Those close to the issue are now waiting to see if this latest change in policy results in change on the road.