TWENTY-SEVEN people have died in accidents involving Greater Manchester Police vehicles over the last six years - one of the worst records in the country.
West Midlands, a force of a comparable size, has had half the number of police-involvement road collision deaths since 2004 than GMP.
The only force to have a worse record the Greater Manchester is the Metropolitan Police in London.
More than 1,000 people - pedestrians and motorists - have also been injured in collisions involving GMP vehicles between 2001 and 2006, equating to a total of 182 injuries every year.
In yesterday's (Sunday) smash the pursuit was started after a Vauxhall Vectra jumped a red light.
Official guidelines say that police officers must discontinue a pursuit if the risks outweigh the alleged motoring offence and the `overriding' factor in any police pursuit is safety.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) guidelines state: "Officers and control room staff MUST discontinue a pursuit if the risks or dangers become too great in comparison to the offence(s) committed or suspected to have been committed by the occupant(s) of the subject vehicle - the overriding factor in any pursuit must be safety."
Concerned national road safety charities today echoed the call from Blackley MP Graham Stringer for Greater Manchester Police to look again at its police driving policies.
Concerns
Days after the end of National Road Safety Week, anti-speed campaigners Brake said the latest deaths should act as a `wake-up call' for Greater Manchester Police and described the figure of 27 as `unacceptable'.
Calling on GMP to examine its policies and procedures on pursuits, a spokesman for the charity said: "To have 27 people dying in crashes involving GMP vehicles in the last six years is unacceptable and we are sure the force will be taking this very seriously."
The crash early yesterday has already been referred by police to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in line with procedure.
An IPCC investigator was sent to the scene in the aftermath of the collision. An announcement was expected today on whether there would be any further IPCC involvement, a spokesman said.
The M.E.N. has reported on the human tragedies behind fatal collisions involving police vehicles.
In November 2006, Amanda Torkington, 37, a committed Christian who worked as a physiotherapist at Wythenshawe Hospital, died following a collision with a police van answering a 999 call.
Her Citroen Saxo was struck by the van as it pulled out of a road in Baguley. The van had sped through two red lights. A police officer was later cleared of dangerous driving.
In June this year, Angela Purcell, 38, from Thorn Road, Swinton, died in a smash involving a police van answering reports of a violent attack in Eccles town centre.
Her partner, Stephen Fitzgerald, paid tribute to a `wonderful girl' and said: "I'm devastated at the loss, as are so many who loved and knew Angela. I will never stop loving you."
Then in August this year, eight police officers were suspended from driving duties after grandad biker Alan Long, 54, died following a 50-minute chase involving several squad cars and the force plane in Stalybridge. It later emerged that the officers had tried to stop him because they wanted to check his documents.
Councillor Paul Murphy, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Authority, did not return any call made by the M.E.N. yesterday.
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PW, Manchester (17/11/2008 at 06:39)
What happened to the obvious lesson that if you put your hand in the fire it will get burned? If you decide to risk life and limb to avoid being stopped or questioned, then surely it is you who is responsible (irresponsible more like). But personal responsibility is long dead. The authorities have effectively relieved the population of it.
Dave (17/11/2008 at 08:43)
They have made the decision to evade the police at high speed. It's not the police's fault that they have to follow them at high speed.
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (17/11/2008 at 08:51)
You can't win GMP !!
Iain Monks (17/11/2008 at 09:01)
If the injured party(s) are the occupants of the persued vehicle who have lost control, then tough luck, they should have stopped.
kendomat, Salford (17/11/2008 at 09:58)
If people fail to STOP for police, just let them go, do not pursue!
Armed robbers, car thieves, joy riders, tax evaders, people who want to be chased by police, people who simply dont want a ticket for wrong doing can all go free..
Would this make our roads any safer knowing that criminals can rule the road as they see fit!!!
The biker who sped from the police, with all due respect, he became a criminal the moment he decided to speed from police. He drew the fate of his own life. While sad, do not forget the facts here.~May be we should go for the armerican approach of stopping a pursuit dead before they get away and do any harm.!!
John Quambo, salford (17/11/2008 at 11:18)
Perhaps if, god forbid, Cops were rewarded with marks for sniffing out criminals in stolen cars, GMP would come top
local_lass, Burnage (17/11/2008 at 12:07)
Police must be allowed to pursue dangerous and illegal drivers who fail to stop or no one would ever stop on request and the roads would become increasingly dangerous.
I suspect that any review will show Mr Stringer what most of us already know. GMP have more incidents of this nature because they have more urban and suburban areas and young people of the demographic most likely to steal cars and/or drive stupidly add to this the thousands of roads with numerous junctions and traffic calming measures anyone driving at speed is clearly more like to crash than someone driving at speed on a dual carriage way or a country lane.
Last Pint of Holts, Middleton Manchester (17/11/2008 at 12:08)
Can the MEN issue us with information regarding how many chases or times the Police have reacted to stolen vehicles etc over the past 6 years?
I wonder (and I guess) that the '27' is a very small percentage.
If you drive at speed whilst being chased, dont blame anyone else if an accident occurs!
Enigma, Trafford (17/11/2008 at 12:09)
To any Police driver safety is always paramount, shame that cannot be said for car thieves etc!
Ace Shakespeare , manchester (17/11/2008 at 12:26)
self_loading_frieght, sale (17/11/2008 at 17:02)
EvB, M27 (17/11/2008 at 22:24)
Have some social responsibility and stop implying the Police are at fault for attempting to up hold the law.
Jay B, oldham (18/11/2008 at 09:43)
if i was in the force now moral would be at an all time low.
i wouldnt be suprised if the strike because of all the stick they get for only doing their job.
and the MEN doesnt help with silly headlines like this just because they're having a car accident story week on here!
next week can we report on totally useless journalism in newspapers in recent months?
Black Flag (18/11/2008 at 09:53)
Thankfully we still have a relatively free press which isn't obliged to act as a cheerleader for the government.
EvB, M27 (18/11/2008 at 21:49)
Black Flag (19/11/2008 at 08:53)
It depends whether the laws are right. If some people don't want to speak out in support of Law and Order, that's their business.
"...to being a "cheerleader for the Government" (this being one's free choice - to cheer about or not)...is it not possible to be the former without the latter?"
Not the way you've phrased it. You're talking about people having freedom of speech, but with an underlying obligation that they say the things you want them to, which isn't free speech.
Compare your two statements:
"this being one's free choice - to cheer about or not"
and
"the media should be leading the charge in support of Law and Order and those who do their uttermost to apply it"
The two are incompatible.
MancLadUK, Manchester (20/11/2008 at 19:06)
You seem them every day in traffic, just slowing down and moving over slightly. This puts incredible pressure on the 999 driver, PULL OVER, let them past!
Manchester is very bad for this, it seems some drivers are very arrogant and put their journey over the lives of others who need help.
I also think headlines like this need to consider other factors. GMP is one of the busiest forces in the country, has the highest car crime and is the 2nd biggest force. It's easy for charities and MPs to jump up and down from behind a desk, but let's support the cops that help us all out instead of knocking them like these people do.
Arnold S (18/03/2011 at 15:04)
The way that I was treated during the investigtion was terrible. I have seen how the law works and it is shocking. There doesn't seem to be any justice in our land. Yes on the surface of things the law works to protect us but when you become a victim of crime yourself you see the dark side of the law which is concealed from the public.
The law let me down and so did the police. Yes the individual officers that you see might show sympathetic but even that is challenged when you say anything ill of the police (which you are bound to in the circumstances). I wanted an appology from the police for what had happended. I still haven't got one.
One of the biggest problems for me with the police is their public relations. The police don't help themselves. Rather than defend themselves all the time, - greet the problem and accept it. Then they can offer solutions but even then they shouldn't just jump to the defensive. Sensitivity is the key. Remember for every fatal accident there are the victims who have died and those who are still alive. I have kind of generalised here with the police. I must admit I just sensed that most of the contributors here are police officers and responded to such comments.