A MAN who reversed his car into a police patrol vehicle yesterday morning is still at large as police continue to combat concerning driving behaviour throughout the Mount Gambier district.
Police visited a premises on Telopea Court at around 3am yesterday following reports of a disturbance.
Officers spoke with a man briefly at the address before he got into the driver’s seat of an older model white Holden Rodeo tray top utility and locked the door.
The driver of the car accelerated rapidly in reverse, crashing with a police vehicle which caused panel damage and a buckled bonnet.
The suspect then drove across the lawn of a house and a second patrol followed the vehicle for a short time before the pursuit was terminated.
It follows a similar incident occuring in Mount Gambier this week where a car reversed out of a driveway on Boandik Terrace and narrowly missed a police officer.
It also came less than 12 hours after four police officers were killed after when struck by a truck on a major highway in Victoria.
Condemning the man’s behaviour, Limestone Coast Police operations manager Inspector Campbell Hill said officers were working around the clock to track him down.
“I have seen the bodyworn camera footage of last night’s incident and it is really concerning,” he said.
“This is not the type of incident where you put the books down and worry about it tomorrow, we will keep chasing this up around the clock and are following some positive lines of enquiry.”
He said the offenders involved in this week’s incidents were a risk to police and the community.
“When people are driving recklessly – or in this case deliberately – we can quickly see it go from a standard traffic matter to something much more serious.
“That is a real concern, but we reassure the community that we are aware of certain people and will continue to target particular addresses of interest.”
Insp Hill said he was mindful of the impact these incidents can have on the officers who were involved.
“There is an expectation in any workplace that you go to work, do the job and then go home safely,” he said.
“It is very concerning that we have had two incidents where police officers attend calls and then a person has had little regard for those officers as they attempt to seek a resolution.”
Reflecting on the dangerous work that police are involved in every day, Insp Hill said the entire police fraternity were shocked by the death of four officers in Victoria.
“We obviously enjoy a very close working relationship with the Victoria Police, being so close to the border and our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of those affected,” he said.
“We certainly appreciate the gravity of the tragedy and this is just a reminder of how dangerous policing can be and how driving behaviour can have devastating impacts.”
