The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into a serious crash, following a 600-metre pursuit in Hamilton. At about 8 pm on Tuesday 31 March 2020, during Covid-19 level 4 lockdown, a police patrol signalled a vehicle to stop for driving at 108 kmph in a 50 kmph speed zone.
While the patrol car tried to catch up, the fleeing driver lost control of his vehicle and slid across the road and into a house, seriously injuring himself. The police investigation established that the officer was justified in signalling the driver to stop and pursuing the vehicle. Given the brevity of the pursuit and absence of additional risk factors that would call for its abandonment, the Authority is satisfied the pursuit was justified.
IPCA: 20-2872