Police chases too dangerous
Police chases might be exciting, but they are also risky. Over the years, many chases have ended with wrecked vehicles and lost lives.
After the Act Governing the Use of Police Weapons (警械使用條例) was amended in 2022 to ease some restrictions, the National Police Agency collected and examined statistics concerning the circumstances of police officers’ use of guns from January to October last year.
The data showed that young officers are more likely than senior officers to use their firearms, and in most cases they used them while pursuing people who fled after being stopped for questioning.
It is perfectly normal for police officers to pursue suspects, but as the old saying goes: “Be careful when chasing a desperate foe, because a cornered tiger will lash out,” or, in another version of the same idea: “A cornered dog might jump over a wall.”
Law enforcement officers should be careful about pursuing suspects. Traffic accidents caused by police chases have not only resulted in many officers being injured and their vehicles wrecked, but also hurt innocent passersby, even seriously injuring them or leaving them with brain damage.
Although it is legitimate and necessary to uphold law and order, the authorities should carefully assess the safety aspect of law enforcement and the potential cost of aiming for high performance.
Taiwan’s roads are not wide and are often full of vehicles. Besides, not every driver has great skills and quick reaction time. Even police cars sometimes get hit by other vehicles.
When police officers encounter people or vehicles fleeing for unknown reasons, they should not simply rush after them. The driver might have committed a simple traffic offense or a more serious crime, or be carrying illegal objects or substances.
All kinds of uncertainties and dangers need to be considered on the spot when deciding whether to pursue a fleeing vehicle.
The National Police Agency has not yet established a standard operating procedure or specific training for responding to situations that arise when pursuing suspects, so officers in charge of each unit can only passively urge their subordinates not to chase vehicles.
However, they also require their teams to “perform.” How can police officers hope to solve cases if they do not question or follow potential suspects? It is hard for police officers to know what to do when faced with such demands.
Let us hope that the police will be taught a set of reasonable and objective tactical responses to use when dealing with fleeing vehicles or collisions, rather than blindly and ineffectively shooting at them from behind. That can only result in more serious casualties, while failing to force a vehicle to stop.
Training and equipping law enforcement officers costs the state a huge amount of money. A temporary loss of performance can be made up for with renewed investigation.
If an improper pursuit results in police officers being killed or injured or police cars getting damaged, or even the death or injury of innocent bystanders — which would require state compensation — it would be a major loss to the government’s budget and a lifelong regret for everyone involved. Any such situation must be treated with great caution.
Chen Hsueh-chiang
Taipei
After nine days of holidays for the Lunar New Year, government agencies and companies are to reopen for operations today, including the Legislative Yuan. Many civic groups are expected to submit their recall petitions this week, aimed at removing many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers from their seats. Since December last year, the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) passed three controversial bills to paralyze the Constitutional Court, alter budgetary allocations and make recalling elected officials more difficult by raising the threshold. The amendments aroused public concern and discontent, sparking calls to recall KMT legislators. After KMT and TPP legislators again
In competitive sports, the narrative surrounding transgender athletes is often clouded by misconceptions and prejudices. Critics sometimes accuse transgender athletes of “gaming the system” to gain an unfair advantage, perpetuating the stereotype that their participation undermines the integrity of competition. However, this perspective not only ignores the rigorous efforts transgender athletes invest to meet eligibility standards, but also devalues their personal and athletic achievements. Understanding the gap between these stereotypes and the reality of individual efforts requires a deeper examination of societal bias and the challenges transgender athletes face. One of the most pervasive arguments against the inclusion of transgender athletes
When viewing Taiwan’s political chaos, I often think of several lines from Incantation, a poem by the winner of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature, Czeslaw Milosz: “Beautiful and very young are Philo-Sophia, and poetry, her ally in the service of the good... Their friendship will be glorious, their time has no limit, their enemies have delivered themselves to destruction.” Milosz wrote Incantation when he was a professor of Slavic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He firmly believed that Poland would rise again under a restored democracy and liberal order. As one of several self-exiled or expelled poets from
Taiwan faces complex challenges like other Asia-Pacific nations, including demographic decline, income inequality and climate change. In fact, its challenges might be even more pressing. The nation struggles with rising income inequality, declining birthrates and soaring housing costs while simultaneously navigating intensifying global competition among major powers. To remain competitive in the global talent market, Taiwan has been working to create a more welcoming environment and legal framework for foreign professionals. One of the most significant steps in this direction was the enactment of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) in 2018. Subsequent amendments in
RSS