Source : Perth Now news
Police in one state are vowing they will not chase e-bike riders and motorcyclists, after two officers were charged over an alleged hit-and-run.
The Police Association of NSW issued the directive to members on Wednesday, citing rising incidents where alleged offenders evading police had resulted in officers receiving criminal charges.
President Kevin Morton said while offenders were deciding to flee authorities, police officers were finding themselves before the courts.
Two officers were charged on Monday after allegedly crashing a police car into an e-bike rider in Sydney earlier in 2026
The pair allegedly did not offer aid to the rider and both men were charged with police officer neglect.
The charges reflected a wider trend of officers facing charges for their conduct on the job, the Police Association said.
“There comes a point where enough is enough. That point has now been reached,” Mr Morton said.
The association previously backed Sergeant Benedict Bryant, sentenced to two years’ prison following the death of a 16-year-old Indigenous boy.
The officer parked his unmarked police car in the path of the boy who was riding an allegedly stolen trail bike at high speed without activating lights and sirens.
The teen died of head injuries suffered in the collision. Bryant has lodged an appeal to his conviction.
The association said the no-pursuit directive would remain in place until “meaningful action” was taken to reduce “good faith” officers’ legal exposure.
“If the government wants police to continue undertaking these high-risk activities, then it must provide officers with the legislative protections necessary to do their job with confidence,” Mr Morton said.
It comes as e-bike regulation remains a nightmare for governments and enforcement.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare published national data on e-scooter and e-bike related injuries that found teenage boys are seriously injuring themselves crashing e-scooters.
Hospitalisations related to falls from e-scooters – and mobility scooters – tripled from 1291 in 2019/20 to 4089 in 2024/25.
Males accounted for two-thirds of the figure.
Boys aged between 12 and 15 recorded the steepest rise – four times as likely as girls to be hospitalised.
The rate of hospitalisations jumped from 3.6 to 54 per 100,000 in the five-year period.
