Watch above: procedures govern police chases in Saskatoon
SASKATOON – There are several stretches of road in Saskatoon and in the province where drivers are travelling at excessive speeds.
A 21-year-old was taken to hospital Saturday evening, after the motorcycle he was driving lost control and struck a light standard. Moments before, police clocked him going double the speed limit on Circle Drive South. Officers did not attempt to stop the vehicle due to safety concerns.
“The motorcycle locked on radar at 180 kilometers in a 90 kilometer an hour zone, that traffic unit because of the time of day, the public safety issue, that unit held back,” said Alyson Edwards, a spokesperson with Saskatoon Police Service.
While this case didn’t result in a pursuit, last year police were involved in 49, up from 27 in 2012. Police were forced to call off 29 pursuits in 2013.
“We have a number of procedures built in that govern our pursuits and they consider time of day, they consider how high or low the traffic flow is, they consider the area that they are in, perhaps there’s someone in that vehicle who is wanted by police, are they dangerous,” said Edwards.
A sergeant in communications monitors all pursuits and is able to order and abort them at any time; in some cases they are picked up by the plane or by other officers.
“What is most concerning to us is that people are continuing to attempt to evade police and we don’t want to see that result in other harm to the public,” said Edwards.
The motorcyclist suffered minor injuries in Saturday’s crash and is facing possible charges of dangerous driving.
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