Damned If You Do: The Case That Could End Police Pursuits | Mick Kennedy

When Sergeant Benedict Bryant was found guilty of dangerous driving over the death of Jai Wright — a teenager riding a stolen motorbike who collided with Bryant's stationary unmarked police car — the verdict sent shockwaves through the NSW Police Force. Bryant didn't go to jail, but the conviction may cost him everything. And the ripple effects could reshape policing across the state. Adam Shand speaks with Dr. Michael Kennedy, former NSW police officer and senior lecturer in the policing program at Western Sydney University, about what the Bryant verdict really means for the officers on the beat, for pursuit policy and for the future of law enforcement in NSW. Kennedy pulls no punches. He argues that Bryant was let down by a system that cleared him at every level: Professional Standards, the DPP and the oversight body, before a politically charged prosecution pursued him anyway. Forced to fund his own defence, Bryant opted for a judge-only trial because he couldn't afford a jury. Now he carries a criminal conviction and every commander in NSW is quietly asking themselves the same question: next time, do I give the order?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.