Police pursuits: law

13 March 2018

West Midlands Police Officers are being urged to contact their MPs ahead of Friday’s scheduled second reading of a bill aiming to give police response drivers better protection in law.

West Midlands Police Federation’s deputy secretary Tim Rogers, the Federation’s national pursuits lead, has been spearheading the campaign for legislative change which has been gathering momentum in recent months.

He has now posted a video online encouraging members to get involved in lobbying MPs saying the current legal situation is ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and leaves officers exposed to prosecution even when they are using tactics for which they are trained.

He highlights the fact that the Federation was contacted 70 times last year by members facing criminal or conduct proceedings under the current guidelines.

Senior backbench MP Sir Henry Bellingham introduced his Emergency Response Drivers (Protections)
Ten-Minute Rule Bill in Parliament on 19 December 2017. The bill was accepted with cross party support and the second reading on Friday is the next stage of its progress.

“We are calling on all of our members and supporters to lobby their MPs to support the bill at this crucial next stage. It is so important that we protect our police and emergency services from unfair and unwarranted prosecution,” says Tim.