Tasmania Police has approved a new vehicle pursuit policy that will come into effect early next year after officers receive necessary training.

The policy maintains its focus on safety of public and police and provides increased clarity for police on when to initiate, continue and terminate a pursuit, as well as how to assess relevant risks.

The policy draws on best practice from all other Australian policing jurisdictions.

It clearly differentiates between urgent duty driving – such as responding to hold-up alarms or calls for urgent assistance- and it remains the case that pursuits can only be initiated when there is:

 An obvious and immediate danger to human life; or

 A response to, or prevention of, serious crimes.

Deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard said:

“Our existing pursuit policy has been very effective in reducing injuries and deaths associated with this high-risk area of policing. The new policy aims to further minimise risks.

“When risk factors dictate the termination of a pursuit there are of course other tactics that can be utilised such as investigations, covert observations and deploying vehicle immobilisation devices,” he said.

Key elements of the new policy include:

 A clear differentiation between a ‘pursuit’ and other circumstances where police may be authorised to ‘follow’ a vehicle;

 Clearer articulation of ‘key risk factors’ for police to consider prior to, and during, a pursuit through a process of ‘dynamic risk assessment’;

 A more comprehensive ‘reporting and investigation’ regime based on categories of pursuit, to ensure greater accountability.

Training for officers in utilising the new policy commenced this week. The policy will come into effect after all relevant officers have been trained, early in the new year.