Hot pursuit is a term which is commonly used to describe the situation where the police chase a suspected offender at high speed. This is a most complex and difficult area of road safety. For unlike other aspects of road safety, which must balance competing interests of freedom and safety, this issue often involves balancing two different aspects of safety. On at least some occasions the police can validly argue that the person they were chasing would be a danger to the public if not caught. Yet the chase itself also represents a danger to the public. The report recommends that the police urgently complete their current review of the guidelines governing hot pursuits, and tighten these guidelines to improve public safety; and that a coronial inquiry should be mandatory in every case of a death following a pursuit by police.
Abstract