The secretary of the state police union said they had a number of opportunities to intercept the suspect`s vehicles before Friday`s (Bourke St) massacre on Burke Street, but were instructed not to do so.
On Friday, before the chestnut Holden Commodore drove into Melbourne`s central business district at 1 noon, police had followed it for hours and had tried several times to track it down and intercept it. But for reasons of public safety, they finally gave up.
On several occasions, however, the union secretary, senior detective sheriff Ron Iddles, said police believed they could safely intercept and arrest suspects, but were told not to do so by their superiors.
One was between 10:00 and 11:30 on Chapel Street outside the city centre. The suspect`s Commodore car was caught in a traffic jam.
"it can`t move at all," Mr. Iddles said. It would have been a good time to take it down at once. "
Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said on Monday that the police decision was in between minutes.
"this morning, they felt the same way as the rest of the community,`Oh, what would I have done if I had made a different decision,`" he told 3AW Radio. But on this point, I support them 100%. "
"you are in a position where you have to make an immediate decision. Then, with the best judgment, you made what I thought was the best decision for the community at the time. "
Mr. Ashton said the police had almost stopped the car "several times" and had the opportunity to do so, including after it had entered the city centre.
There were reports that the police had seven to eight chances to crash the car, but Mr. Ashton said the police records did not show any such information.
"it is not our policy, nor is it our usual practice, to intercept vehicles by means of crashes."
Victoria Coroner Sara Hinchey will review the police`s response to the crash in the run-up to the Burke Street tragedy, including a car-chasing policy. This will be part of the overall investigation of the incident.
Mr. Iddles said the state police would also conduct an internal review of the matter.
Disagreements between the Force Commander and the front-line police led to a change in the policy in 2015.
Death toll was as high as 14 directly or indirectly over a five-year period as a result of a police chase, the death toll was as high as 14, according to the then coroner, John Olle.
The revised police chase policy stipulates that police can only pursue public safety if they are threatened or if a serious murder occurs.
Until then, the police can pursue a car for any criminal act, provided it meets a certain risk assessment. This risk assessment has also been tightened under the new policy.
However, police said the wording of the new policy had led to a culture of fear, especially in senior police positions, where risk-averse decisions were seen to be overdeveloped.
Front-line police also said the narrow range of reasons for pursuing cars also deprived them of the opportunity to judge the direction of the wind and measure the pros and cons.
In addition, criminals also began to guide each other how to use the new policy to seduce the police to pursue, and then force the other side to give up the chase.
Some of the criminals already know that if they drive backwards or at very high speeds, the police will give up the chase.
On the one hand, the media`s media coverage and the greater transparency of the state police`s propaganda have also led to the sharing of such information and the increasingly sophisticated criminals.
Police reported that criminals had openly torched tires in front of the police station or threw something in front of the police car.
In Wodonga, several teenagers drove an overloaded convertible with graffiti "dry these pigs", "police hunters" and "come after them?" Wait for provocative words.
And the killing of innocent people later on as a result of police compliance with chase orders has also taken place several times.
Two cars, once abandoned by police, killed two men before long.
Although the police later reviewed the policy and changed some wording, its subject matter has not changed much.
The police also hope to stop the targeted means of re-emergence as a result of a three-pronged approach to the specific adjustment.
In an investigation by the police union last year, police officers expressed frustration with the policy.
One of them wrote: "in general, I think public safety will be increased. Because if there are fewer pursuers, fewer people will be put into danger. But what we don`t know is whether criminals will continue to drive dangerously without being pursued by the police, continue to harm others or continue to commit crimes. Because they can be even more unscrupulous without being affected. "
Another policeman wrote: "this is not a police policy. The formulation of these policies, and the unpredictability of management, will only pose additional dangers to the police and the public. "
Eleven months ago, the police union made a number of recommendations, including restoring the police discretion to continue or stop the hunt, and air support 24 / 7 (adopted and implemented by the Victorian police). And the introduction of long-range car deactivation technology.
