Inquest into the death of Harri Tapani Jokinen

Case Number: 2022/2500

Date of Findings: 16 May 2025

Magistrate: Deputy State Coroner, Rebecca Hosking

Responses

Recommendations

That the Commissioner of Police:

1. Amend the Safe Driving Response and Operations Guideline (SDROG) to mandate that a pursuit can be commenced only if police are satisfied that a serious risk to the health and safety of a person existed before the decision to intercept or stop the vehicle.
2. Make clear in the terms of the SDROG, and in any relevant training, that the above test is the threshold for a police pursuit.
3. Amend the SDROG to expressly provide that upon a pursuit being called the relevant pursuit supervisor must, as soon as practicable, ask the pursuing officer to identify the serious risk to health or safety of a person that existed before the decision to intercept or stop the vehicle, and give independent consideration to whether that threshold is met. 
4. Ensure that state-wide mandatory training be provided to all NSW Police Force officers on the threshold test for police pursuits.
5. Mandate that the serious risk to the health and safety of a person that existed before the decision to stop or intercept a vehicle be recorded for every police pursuit.