The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into an allegation an officer pursed a motorcycle at excessive speeds. An off-duty officer witnessed the pursuit as well as members of the public who commented about the incident on social media.
Police identified the officer involved and noted the patrol car used had damaged constant velocity (CV) joints and unroadworthy tyres. This called into question whether the officer had conducted the required pre-deployment checks of the patrol car.
The Police investigation found the officer activated their lights and siren to stop the motorcyclist after he observed the rider drive for a short distance with the front tyre of the motorcycle raised off the ground. The officer said the motorcycle accelerated away at speed, so he accelerated after the motorcycle for approximately 30 seconds. The officer said he reached a speed of just over 100km/hr in a 50km/hr zone, before realising the motorcyclist was not going to stop and that a pursuit was not justified. The officer accepted he followed the motorcycle for longer than he should have and that he failed to notify Police Communications and record the incident as required by policy.
The officer said he had checked the patrol car before using it and the tyres appeared to be in satisfactory condition. Shortly after the incident, he had noticed the CV joints were making a slight noise and requested that the patrol car be taken to the mechanics to be checked.
While the investigation found the officer had completed the necessary pre-deployment checks of the patrol car, Police concluded the officer had no justification to pursue the motorcyclist, and that the officer’s actions were in breach of Police policy.
Police addressed these concerns through an employment process. The Authority is satisfied with the outcome reached.
IPCA: 24-25446