CONFIDENTIAL police protocols governing high-speed pursuits in NSW will again face coronial scrutiny following the death of an unlicensed motorcyclist who led officers on a chase after they asked to see his identification.
The two officers, who were conducting random breath tests at Fern Bay, north of Newcastle, chased the 40-year-old for at least 15km -- reaching speeds of up to 180km/h -- before his high-performance Suzuki GSX-R hit a metal pole at Heatherbrae on Boxing Day morning. He died in hospital early yesterday.
The man's death brought the national road toll for the Christmas holiday period to 47, two fewer deaths than the same time last year and three fewer than 2010-11. The NSW toll stood at 12 last night, six fewer than was recorded in the state during the previous Christmas period.
Queensland also experienced a drop in fatalities, with seven deaths, against nine last year. However, a sharp increase in the South Australian road toll left seven people dead, against three last year, while Tasmania also recorded an increase, with three deaths, up from one last year.
Eight people died on West Australian roads, against seven from the same period last year.
One person died in the Northern Territory and nine in Victoria -- the same as last year. For the third year running, the ACT recorded no deaths.
NSW police will prepare a report on the motorcyclist's death for the state coroner, who is expected to assess the officers' conduct and the adequacy of police pursuit policy. The crash follows the high-speed pursuit death three years ago of 20-month-old Sydney girl Skye Sassine.
No comments:
Post a Comment