Page 1261 - Week 04 - Thursday, 8 May 2014

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Justice and Community Safety—Standing Committee

Proposed reference

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.15): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) police pursuits policy remains a complicated issue that must balance enforcement of the criminal law with community safety;

(b) from 2000-2011, there has been an average of 15 crashes and 18 deaths each year related to police pursuits;

(c) several Australian jurisdictions have reviewed and altered their police pursuits policies in recent years; and

(d) technology to assist criminal investigations and mitigate the need for police pursuits continues to improve; and

(2) refers to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety for inquiry and report by the last sitting day in November 2014, the issue of police pursuits policy, including:

(a) an examination of the most recent evidence and policies on police pursuits including from Australian and international jurisdictions;

(b) hearing evidence from relevant stakeholders such as police, members of the community and experts in appropriate academic fields;

(c) recommendations relating to police pursuits policy in the ACT; and

(d) any other relevant matter.

This is a motion that asks the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety to inquire into the issue of police pursuits in the ACT.

Members are probably aware that I have raised the issue of police pursuits policy before. I have been clear about my own view that I think the ACT should at least trial a more restrictive police pursuits policy. This would entail restricting police pursuits to situations where a serious crime has been committed. In 2011 I raised the issue in a community discussion paper and, at the time, I did not have support from either the Labor or Liberal parties for a change.

I do not want to re-prosecute the argument now, and my motion does not ask the other parties to support a policy change. But I do ask for the support of the Assembly to let a committee look at this important area of policy. As I will discuss in a moment, it remains an issue that is ripe for committee and community consideration. Research, technology and policy work on police pursuits continues to progress. Let us give the

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