Inquiry into police chase deaths

The dramatically rising toll of road deaths during police chases has been condemned by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

Fatalities have tripled in four years and 26 people have died since the beginning of April. Eleven drivers of cars being chased by police have died in eight months, 10 passengers, three pedestrians and two other motorists.

Now the PCA has begun a research programme to find out why there has been such a sudden increase. Typical of the kind of incident they will be investigating will be the horrific crash at Kent in August when four men died after a 100mph police chase. Three criminals and an innocent motorist died when a car being pursued the wrong way down a dual-carriageway smashed into another.

PCA Chairman Sir Alistair Graham said: "We share the public's concern about these incidents.

"We must find an answer to this problem. We would like to see a big drop in pursuit deaths." The PCA's research will be compiled by David Best, a former lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry.

He will investigate the kind of people who get involved in car chases, the behaviour of police drivers and the way in which senior officers manage the chases.

Christine Murphy, who lost her brother John Todd when he was killed by a car being pursued as he walked home from work four years ago, said: "One death is too high, never mind 26. It's time for something to be done."