New laws that include tough penalties for drivers evading police have been passed, in an effort to avoid tragedies such as this Northam fatality earlier this month. Source: PerthNow
WESTERN Australia is claiming the toughest protection for police involved in pursuits of stolen cars under new laws passed by the state government.
WA police had threatened to ban pursuits unless new laws were passed.
The controversial legislation ratified today stipulates penalties for drivers who kill or injure road users or drive recklessly while fleeing police.
A mandatory minimum 12-month jail term will await any driver who tries to escape police and then engages in dangerous driving that causes death or serious injury.
Drivers who cause bodily harm while dangerous driving during a police chase will also face six months in jail.
WA police minister Liza Harvey says the new laws will give police officers involved in high-speed chases the most comprehensive protection in the country.
"I am extremely pleased this legislation has passed and the state's police officers who engage in emergency driving will now have the legal protection they deserve,'' Mrs Harvey said.
The proposed laws stirred controversy, after MP and former lawyer John Quigley claimed the bill would reverse the burden of proof and actually make it harder for officers to defend themselves because they would have to prove in court they believed they were driving reasonably.
Mrs Harvey said the tough new measures would add to existing legal protection and ensured police officers who followed the rules would not face prosecution.
Failing to stop when asked by police may now result in a mandatory fine of $5000 and a mandatory two-year licence disqualification, as well as up to two years' jail.
The new laws come after a spate of fatalities following police pursuits in WA this year.
Mother Sharon Ann D'Ercole died in April when a police vehicle ploughed into her car while chasing a stolen car in the Perth suburb of Dianella.
Last month, taxi driver Kuldeep Singh and his passenger Sean Barrett, a British scientist, both died after their vehicle was struck by a stolen car that had been pursued by police.
RECENT SERIOUS CRASHES FOLLOWING POLICE CHASES:
* Mother Sharon Ann D'Ercole died in April when a police vehicle ploughed into her car while chasing a stolen car in the Perth suburb of Dianella.
* Last month, taxi driver Kuldeep Singh and his passenger, British scientist Sean Barrett, both died after their cab was struck by a stolen car that had earlier been pursued by police.
* Earlier this month, a 20-year-old passenger died and the driver was critically injured after officers tried to stop a car in Northam, 100km northeast of Perth, before it crashed into a power pole.
* Less than 24 hours later, an unmarked police car was rammed in Midland following a pursuit, leaving one officer with a knee injury and another with bruising to his face, chest and legs.
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