Inquest into the Deaths of Glenys Joy FORBES and Kevin Hugh FORBES
Deceased
Glenys Joy FORBES and Kevin Hugh FORBES
Date of death
2016-09-17
Finding date
2019-10-17
Cause of death
Multiple injuries sustained in motor vehicle collision
AI-generated summary
On 17 September 2016, Glenys Joy Forbes (60) and Kevin Hugh Forbes (66) died when a vehicle they were in was struck by a Ford being pursued by police at high speed. Mrs Forbes died at the scene; Mr Forbes died shortly after hospital admission from multiple injuries. The coroner found the police officers acted within policy but criticised the Emergency Driving Policy itself as poorly drafted, repetitive, vague and offering insufficient guidance for split-second decisions during high-speed pursuits. The coroner noted that 25-65% of police pursuit fatalities occur within the first 5 minutes, and that the risks of pursuing vehicles often outweigh benefits, particularly when the initial reason for stopping is minor. The coroner recommended WAPOL provide clearer, more concise policy guidance on when pursuits should commence and be terminated, noting the Queensland policy as a model of clarity with explicit decision-making algorithms.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- High-speed police pursuit of vehicle
- Failure to stop by pursued vehicle driver
- Speed of pursued vehicle and police vehicle at time of intersection
- Pursuit lasting less than 2 minutes with insufficient time for effective oversight
- Radio communication delays and unreliability
- Unclear policy guidance on pursuit initiation and termination
- Police officer decisions made without obtaining reason for initial stop
Coroner's recommendations
- WAPOL should amend the Emergency Driving Policy and Guidelines to provide clear, concise instructions to police officers with respect to circumstances where commencing pursuits is and is not appropriate and where pursuits, once commenced, should be terminated
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