Police officer makes an unsafe passing manoeuvre whilst urgent duty driving
The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into a complaint about an officer's dangerous driving. The complainant reported that they had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with a marked Police vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. The Police officer was on an emergency call and was overtaking another vehicle on a bend in the road. The incident was recorded on the complainants 'dash cam' and this footage was given to Police.
The Police investigation found that, whilst the use of urgent duty driving was justified and within policy, the overtaking manoeuvre was an error in judgement, and caused the complainant to take evasive action.
The Authority agreed with the Police findings and noted that an appropriate sanction was administered. The officer also wrote an apology to the complainant and undertook further driving training.
IPCA: 19-1527