Police Officers Shouldn't Cause Road Traffic Accidents, They Should Prevent Them
We usually hear about the defendants doing this, not the police: two officers face prosecution after rolling a suspect's sports car through a hedge.
The officers, who remain unnamed, seized the yellow high-performance rally replica sports car from a 23 year old male driver in the early hours of Friday morning, after noticing that it was being driven erratically. Having detained him on suspicion of drink driving and seized his car, the officers decided to drive the car away themselves rather than wait for a recovery vehicle to remove it, as is normal procedure.
Within minutes, they had lost control and ploughed the car through two gardens in the suburb of Hale Barns. It came to rest on its side. Thankfully, nobody was killed in the accident, but this was pure luck. One of the two officers, who have nearly twenty years' experience between them, required hospital treatment for mild injuries, and both men were said to be severely shocked.
This incident has sparked a wave of fury in the comments boards of those online newspapers that allow readers to add their thoughts after browsing the story. In addition to destroying the property of three homeowners, the officers' conduct has also led to the 23 year old's car being written off, for which the police may face a later legal battle.
According to one reader, the strenuous tests that police officers must pass to become advanced motorists have been relaxed in previous years. Traffic officers like the two constables in question regularly have to drive at great speeds while remaining in control at all times. But this four wheel drive Lancer was obviously too powerful for them to handle.
The Daily Mail called the accident the result of a 'joy ride' but we do not yet know what caused the accident. Although it is likely that the temptation to try out such a coveted piece of kit became too much for them, we must give them the benefit of the doubt.
But it does raise questions as to the accountability of our police forces, who are supposed to protect us from road traffic accidents, not cause them. There is undeniably a mildly comic element to the tale, but the tone of the reports would have been quite different if the officers had been slightly less fortunate.
They have been suspended from driving duties with immediate effect, and will have to explain their actions to Greater Manchester Police's professional standards unit in the very near future.
About the Author
Richard Craig is a UK-based writer focussing on the effect of road traffic accidents
http://www.accidentadvicehelpline.co.uk/road_traffic_accident_claims/
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