“Don’t penalise police for driving as they are trained”

POLICE drivers should not be penalised for driving in the way that they have trained to do, the Chairman of Essex Police Federation has said.

Steve Taylor was talking as the Government announced plans to draft new legislation to protect police drivers by the end of the year – having previously said that existing laws were enough.

Steve said: “I’m cautiously optimistic, and welcome steps in this direction, but for seven years we’ve been trying to make advantage in this area. We hope they will follow through and we will see a change to the legislation giving police drivers more protection.

“As part of the execution of our duty – to save life and limb, to protect property – we’re trained to drive in a particular way.

“I make no distinction in terms of risk between the response driver and the pursuit driver when it comes to the risk they would face, were the worst to happen, when driving exactly the way they’re taught to drive.

“The National Police Chiefs’ Council have agreed a particular training package, and when officers stick to that driving package and officers are involved in accidents, and they’ve driven within the confines of their training and their abilities and the vehicle that they’re in, they can still face criminal prosecution for exercising their duty in the way they’re trained to exercise it. And that’s just not fair.

“That puts all the risk on the individual. The individual is similarly at risk if they choose not to drive in the way that they’re taught to drive.

“This isn’t a get out of jail free card. This is just simply asking for us to avail ourselves of our training and experience when the time comes, unfortunately, to defend ourselves against criminal prosecution for doing nothing other than our job, trying to keep the people of Essex safe.

“That’s not scaremongering. It happens. It happens up and down the country. It’s happened in our county, and it’s not fair. And that’s why it’s welcome and we need this change in legislation.”