FAKE dOPE REAl TROublE - New Zealand Police Association

The main findings in the Stephenscase showed he had driven around thebarrier arms that had descended to stoptraffic, even though the barrier arms,warning bells and lights at the levelcrossing had all been in working order.Stephens was found guilty of recklessdriving causing manslaughter and threecharges of reckless driving. He was jailedfor three years.Steve and his unit were pleased withthe result of the trial after spendingseveral months gathering evidence tobe presented in court. “Although, whenyou really think about it, it wasn’t verymuch for killing someone and leavingsomeone with serious brain injuriesthat will affect her for the rest of her life,and for no other reason than the drivercouldn’t be bothered waiting.”Most of the crashes the unitinvestigates happen on regular roads,but sometimes it is called to seriousoff-road incidents, such as a recent fatalaccident on a farm, involving a diggerand a bulldozer.A farmhand had died after becomingtrapped between the two vehicles.The tractor was stuck in a boggyhollow at the bottom of the hill and twofarmhands were hoping to free it byhooking it up to a bulldozer and thenthe digger. One of the men was standingbetween the digger and the bulldozer toconnect the two with a chain. He waskilled when the bulldozer got too close,crushing him against the digger.This was another situation wherepeople needed to think before theycommitted to a course of action, Stevesays. Educating the public is part of theunit’s work and it takes its messages onsafe driving practices to schools. “It’sall very well sitting back and looking atyour workload, but what are we doingto stop the vehicles from falling off thecliff, so to speak?” he says. “Sometimesyou’ve got to go back up to the topof the cliff and stop them from goingover and this is why we try and get thismessage through to the schools andother safety expos.”The top fiveissues that causeserious crashes1. Speed2. Alcohol3. Not keeping left4. Not wearing seatbelts5. Reckless anddangerous drivingReport confirms fleeingdriver to blameThe IPCA report released last monthinto the deaths in Gisborne last year ofpassengers Peter Bunyan and Holly Gunnand driver Dylan Kingi is another exampleof the point made by the Manukau SeriousCrash Unit about driver choices. Thereport makes it clear that the fleeing driveralone is responsible for such deaths.In a media statement last month, PoliceAssociation President Greg O’Connor said:“The tragic, simple fact is Mr Kingi – arepeat drunk driver – crashed because ofthe selfish choices he made: starting withhis decision to get behind the wheel whilemore than two-and-a-half times the drinkdrivelimit, despite the protestations of hisfamily and friends. The minute he did so,he immediately put all those in his vehicle,and other innocent road users, in danger.“Mr Kingi then chose to speed, andrefused to stop for police. Instead he fledat high speed, putting his selfish desireto evade responsibility ahead of the livesof his friends, despite those same friendspleading with him to stop. He continuedto speed even after police had lost sightof him and abandoned pursuit. The tragicoutcome was due to his choices andactions, and his alone.“These facts are quite clear fromthe IPCA report, yet once again mediacommentary has focused on minorbreaches of policy by the pursuing officer,such as imperfect communications, orexcess speed in trying – without success– to catch up with the offender, who wasdriving even faster. These breaches in noway caused the crash, and focusing onthem, when it is clear they had nothing todo with the deaths, unfairly places blameon the officer; an officer who was at alltimes doing the job the public expectedof him.“Of course police officers shouldendeavour to comply with all aspects ofpolicy in carrying out their duties, andwhere mistakes or omissions are identifiedin the course of investigating an incident,as they were in this case, we should learnfrom them. However, this learning shouldnot distract us from putting the blamefor such incidents where it lies – and thatis squarely with the fleeing driver,” MrO’Connor said.Another fatal crash last month involvinga fleeing driver, this time in SouthAuckland, which resulted in the deaths offour men, was another example of recklessand selfish behaviour, he said. “Oursympathies go out to the families of thedeceased. Once again this is an avoidablewaste of lives,” Mr O'Connor said.new zealand police aSSOCIATION june 2013 131