A coroner has recommended changes to police vehicle pursuit training following the investigation into the death of a 16-year-old girl on the Western Freeway in 2017.
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The Coroners Court met on Tuesday to hand down the findings of the investigation into the death of Jacqueline Vodden, who died in a crash with a VicRoads maintenance vehicle during a police chase through Ballan.
In the hearing Coroner Sarah Gebert read through a summary of the findings, which recounted the events lead up to the police chase and crash, and the police decision to pursue the vehicle Jacqueline was in.
Jacqueline was a passenger in a stolen Toyota HiAce van, being driven by a 17-year-old male who is serving a six year prison sentence for the offending.
The court heard among other things complicating the police pursuit was the officers' ability to estimate the stolen vehicle's speed when entering Ballan.
Speed is a key factor in determining whether or not police should continue a pursuit.
The police's figure of 60km/h was disputed by eye witnesses and CCTV recordings which estimate a speed in excess of 100km/h.
An officer in the pursuing vehicle was unable to view the car's speedometer, and had to rely on the car's GPS to gauge their speed.
There were also communication issues during the 2017 pursuit, with the pursuing officers not reporting to the pursuit controller as often as recommended in police policy.
Coroner Gebert handed down three recommendations to Victoria police.
- The first recommendation was that all Victoria police vehicles be fitted with "appropriate equipment" to undertake pursuits, and improve police estimation of speeds.
- The second was for Victoria police to examine the way to improve communication of risk assessments during a police pursuit.
- The third was to ensure police training emphasized caution and a consideration of higher risks, in order to minimise risks to the public.
