Editorial: Crackdown needed on thugs who terrorise communities by driving recklessly

A criminal clampdown is needed to target those behind two horror crashes in recent weeks, and prevent any more lives being lost.

It is scarcely believable that a week on from a horror smash in the Republic which took the lives of five people and left four innocent people fighting for their lives, an almost identical incident has occurred in England.

However, this time the innocent people caught up in the carnage have lost their lives.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a car which had been pursued by police and was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway struck their vehicle. All five in the other vehicle died.

Cleveland Police are pursuing an organised crime group in relation to the incident, and have made a number of arrests. Officers have said there is no evidence that the activities in this case were “for the purpose of” social media.

Former police officer turned politician Jon Burrows has called for extreme driving to be treated as a much more serious offence, with a higher tariff. The UUP leader’s reasoning is that the consequences of these sort of actions are potentially catastrophic, and driving a car in such a manner is like having a lethal weapon.

He argues that extreme dangerous driving and deliberately failing to stop for police have not been treated seriously enough by the criminal justice system – and have been regarded primarily as motoring offences rather than potentially lethal criminal behaviour.

The horrific loss of life in the UK and Ireland over recent days must serve as a wake up call.

Whether the motivation for such reckless behaviour is social media or not, this is an extremely dangerous crime that must be clamped down on.

No other innocent family should be mourning over the actions of these thugs.