A REVIEW of the laws which meant police drivers could be prosecuted for doing their job has been welcomed by the North Yorkshire Police Federation.

Earlier this year, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) circulated a letter to all specially-trained drivers advising them not to undertake any manoeuvre which a “careful and competent non police driver” would not be capable of.

They said legal advice suggested “police response and pursuit drivers are, in most circumstances, highly likely to fall within the definitions of careless and/or dangerous driving. There are no exemptions to the offences of careless or dangerous driving to permit emergency driving."

The PFEW called for changes to the law to ensure police drivers’ training was taken into account if legal action was taken. This week the Home Office announced there would be a review of the law and guidance surrounding police pursuits and response driving.

Will Eastwood, from North Yorkshire's federation, welcomed the review, saying: "We hope this results in legislation that gives officers the confidence to do their job in line with the training given.

“This is one of a number of areas that government are now considering as a result of the Protect The Protectors campaign. Though there is movement on these issues, We still need continued support from our communities, including MPs, to see things through.

"As such we have recently written to all of our MPs asking them to ensure that they are in Parliament on October 20, to support MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant’s Private Members Bill. This will go before Parliament on this date to create a new offence of assaulting an emergency worker.”

The review of the driving laws would be done with the Department for Transport, the Department of Health, the Attorney General’s Office and the IPCC, as well as the relevant National Policing Leads, the Police Federation, representatives of the other emergency services and groups representing other road users.