Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to encourage police forces to pursue suspects on mopeds and motorcycles who are not wearing crash helmets.

Decisions as to whether to initiate or continue any pursuit are operational ones for the police, balancing the public interest in apprehending suspected criminals against the need to avoid the death or serious injury of any road users.

The College of Policing’s Authorised Professional Practice on Road Policing makes clear that “There may be a public interest in engaging motorcycles and quads in pursuits. Where such vehicles are used to facilitate serious crime or used repeatedly as the mode of transport for organised crime groups then, to minimise risk to the public from criminality and to secure public confidence in policing, a pursuit may be justified. Careful consideration must be given to the risks involved and the [National Decision Model] must be applied in the decision making process.”