7 replies to this topic

[A.Smith]

Some of you may have read/ seen the pursuit of a vehicle in Hampshire that lead to the prosecution of the two RPU officers in the lead police vehicle that pursued the subject vehicle. The article (see link) is written by the defence barrister for the two officers and makes some very good points. It has certainly made me think twice about a lot of things...

http://www.hampshire...ubs/120410b.pdf

[Dave SYP]

No injuries? No substantial damage to property? WHY was it allowed to go this far? Surely, the force concerned has internal procedures for dealing with these types of incidents? A shameful waste of resources and court time!

[Slim Jim]

Well I am hoping the Federation are going to do what they said they would after the verdict was delivered, and demand an inquiry into how the officers were charged, taken to court etc...when no one I have spoken to or have read their comments on news websites (So the "normal" driver out there) says that the pursuit was dangerous. The amount of support for the officers in the fact that they were going after a prolific criminal was overwhelming.

And from looking at Police TV Programmes which show pursuits, even after the pursuing Police vehicles have been stood down and the helicopter takes over, the FTS vehicle still drives recklessly and dangerously....Hmmm.

[CmdKeen]

A very interesting read - especially the bit about how the training or skills of a police driver cannot be used when considering dangerous driving, everything has to be at the level of a competent driver.

Which is a farce given that force's lock down driving so much and require courses to do anything, let alone utilise exemptions. Legally the lawyer is correct that it creates a very dangerous area because as soon as a charge of dangerous driving is brought you don't actually have a legal defence - your driving is almost certainly dangerous by the standards of a merely competent driver!

Basically it comes down to a jury acquitting you. And that won't always happen.

[candles]

Well I am hoping the Federation are going to do what they said they would after the verdict was delivered, and demand an inquiry into how the officers were charged, taken to court etc...when no one I have spoken to or have read their comments on news websites (So the "normal" driver out there) says that the pursuit was dangerous. The amount of support for the officers in the fact that they were going after a prolific criminal was overwhelming.

And from looking at Police TV Programmes which show pursuits, even after the pursuing Police vehicles have been stood down and the helicopter takes over, the FTS vehicle still drives recklessly and dangerously....Hmmm.

The Fed rep did actually call for an investigation on this point - although strangely has gone very quiet - well, publically at least anyway... Great document.

Here is the original thread for reference...

[A.Smith]

The Fed rep did actually call for an investigation on this point - although strangely has gone very quiet - well, publically at least anyway... Great document.

Here is the original thread for reference...

The case of PC James Holden has raised many questions, the main one being why was he ever prosecuted in the first place? This question along with many others will be put into the review which is being lead by Hampshire’s DCC, Andy Marsh.

The passenger in the pursuit vehicle, the radio operator, was also prosecuted for aid and abets dangerous driving. This was mentioned in open court but not reported on. Fortunately, with thanks to our legal team, this was thrown out at the committal stage.

Having spoken at length with the DCC I am confident that the review will be a thorough and detailed one. I am also confident that the officers involved will now have their voices heard. I can’t predict what the review will recommend, time will tell. But if, at the very least, some learning comes from this situation then we must take this as a positive.

The emotional impact on both officers has been dramatic. What has been of comfort to them has been the support from colleagues and members of the public. It is clear from the many phone calls, emails and letters we have received that the public do support us.

Through this blog I want to thank those of you who have sent messages of support, we read every one and it was that support which helped James Holden get through the past few weeks.

Thank you

John

John Apter
Chairman
Hampshire Police Federation


Source : http://minimumcover....the-federation/

[Burnie]

What gets me about this one is that in the opinion of both officers in the lead car, the officers in the number 2 car, the FCR operator, the FCR supervisor, the FCR Inspector AND the prosecutions own expert driving assessor the pursuit was safe and the lead car was not at fault yet only 1 person thought the pursuit should have been terminated earlier (i dont even think he said it was dangerous, just that it could have been aborted sooner) and both officers in the lead car get hauled over the coals and put before the courts...

[Stumblebum]

I understand that Kier Starmer is carrying out an urgent review