Law of Torts
Topic 6 – Special Defendants
,In this session:
• Public Bodies as Defendants
• Policy Debates on Public
Bodies as Defendants
• Police
• Fire Brigade
• Ambulance Service
, Special Defendants
This lecture covers public bodies as special defendants
Public bodies, including the police and fire service, are treated differently
due to the inherently risky, and potentially tortious, nature of what they do
For example, any failure to promptly attend the scene of a crime could be
seen as breach of a duty of care that causes foreseeable harm – if so, the
police would be liable almost every day.
Topic 6 – Special Defendants
,In this session:
• Public Bodies as Defendants
• Policy Debates on Public
Bodies as Defendants
• Police
• Fire Brigade
• Ambulance Service
, Special Defendants
This lecture covers public bodies as special defendants
Public bodies, including the police and fire service, are treated differently
due to the inherently risky, and potentially tortious, nature of what they do
For example, any failure to promptly attend the scene of a crime could be
seen as breach of a duty of care that causes foreseeable harm – if so, the
police would be liable almost every day.