Currently, officers cannot legally make someone step out of their vehicle. But some 49 police have died in road traffic collisions between 2008 and 2019 – and force chiefs claim this figure “could not be ignored”. Kit Malthouse, policing minister, said laws could be introduced to avoid officers having to stand on the hard-shoulder while attempting to question a suspect through a car window.
He said: “It is about officer and driver safety. The hard-shoulder isn’t the place to be.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council also wants “expedited testing of remotely operated immobilisation devices” to bring vehicles to a stop. Mr Malthouse said: “Pursuits, particularly high-speed pursuits, present danger.
“Home Secretary Priti Patel went several weeks ago to see a GPS device that can be fired onto a car, allowing us to track the car without a pursuit.”
Ministers are also being pushed to introduce a “new offence of using or attempting to use a vehicle to target a police employee”.
The NPCC officer safety review, out yesterday, additionally stated chiefs should consider rolling out more body protection equipment.
The document stated police do not believe the CPS takes attacks on them seriously.
