Police! Stop!

Has anyone else noticed, whilst watching those, 'Police car chases that usually end badly' shows on TV, that, whilst the British bobbies usually bring the whole thing to a controlled stop then catch the, 'bailed', driver in someones wheelie bin, the American cops, tend to attempt a pit maneuver which results in the car hitting a petrol station and two other vehicles which immediately burst into flames.
Or, the number of times a suspect manages to steal the police car because the bungling officer has left the keys in the unattended car.
Of course, I'm willing to concede that our law enforcers don't have to contend with so many guns and crazies.
Could it be a training issue, or is it more to do with the American razzmatazz?