asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the report made public on 5 July that accidents involving police vehicles in the London Metropolitan Police area have been occurring at an average rate of 16 a day, they will advise police authorities to continue to provide for effective readiness for immediate departures of their vehicles on receiving emergency calls but not to compete in times taken to reach destinations entailing excessive speed, ignoring traffic lights and disrupting other traffic. [HL3550]

Guidance on when it is appropriate to use rapid response by police vehicles is an operational issue for chief officers of police The Metropolitan Police's new safe driving policy demonstrates how the force is working to reduce the number of accidents which arise during responses to emergency calls and in pursuits.