Indigenous and legal groups are demanding NSW Police release more information about the circumstances of the tragic death of a 16-year-old Indigenous boy, who collided with a police car on the weekend.
Kate Allman writes for the Law Society Journal (LSJ) on Wednesday 23 February 2022
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains the name of a person who has died.
Indigenous and legal groups are demanding NSW Police release more information about the circumstances of the tragic death of a 16-year-old Indigenous boy, who collided with a police car on the weekend.
Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) has called on NSW Police to urgently release its “Safe Driving” policy following the tragedy.
“Police motor vehicle incidents often occur in the context of police pursuits, and continue to have horrific consequences, impacting many including young people, innocent bystanders, ambulance services, witnesses, and even police themselves. But the NSW Police Safe Driving policy remains shrouded in secrecy and hidden from public scrutiny,” the head of RLC’s Police Accountability Practice Samantha Lee said.
“NSW State Coroners have made numerous recommendations about safe driving in the context of police pursuits, but we still don’t know if NSW Police acted on these recommendations,” Lee said.
“This tragic accident highlights again the urgent need to inform the public about whether any of the NSW State Coroners’ recommendations about safe driving have been adopted.”
In 2016, the NSW Coroner recommended that NSW Police review its policy of police pursuits in light of international experience and research that showed them to be extremely risky and not adequately successful in terms of catching criminals.
See the full article here (LSJ, Wednesday 23 February 2022)
