Police pursuit examined after motorcyclists’ death and serious injuries – Nottinghamshire Police, May 2024

A police car was on patrol looking for a stolen vehicle believed to be in the area. During this time, officers saw a motorcycle with no registration number travelling in the opposite direction. The rider had a mobile phone in their hand.

The police car turned around and followed the motorcycle with its emergency equipment on. The motorcycle increased speed and did not stop, so officers decided to pursue. This pursuit was subsequently authorised.

Shortly afterwards, another police car saw the motorcycle and began pursuing it. Both police cars lost sight of the motorcycle.

A third police car saw the motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction and started a pursuit, while a fourth police car was used to attempt a stinger tactic. Stinger tactics use tyre deflation devices to cause slow, controlled deflation that brings a vehicle to a stop without causing a sudden loss of control. The third police car then lost sight of the motorcycle.

A member of the public called the police to report that two motorcycles had collided with both riders suffering serious injuries. Both were taken to hospital where the pursued rider suffered life altering injuries to their leg, including loss of a toe. The other rider suffered critical injuries, including a collapsed lung and ruptured spleen. The second rider died five weeks later. The pursued rider was sentenced to 12 years and four months in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.

We received a death or serious injury referral from the force and decided to independently investigate the actions and decisions of officers involved in the pursuit of the motorcycle. We also examined whether the officers and staff acted in accordance with local and national policies and guidance, and their training.

Our investigators examined in-car and body worn video footage of the pursuit. They reviewed incident logs and took statements from officers as part of the post incident process. The radio communications of the officers concerned were obtained and reviewed, as well as their training records. Our investigators considered relevant national and local policies in relation to the actions of the officers.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings.

We found that the decision to stop the motorcycle and authorise the pursuit was reasonable. Officers provided several updates to the control room about their risk assessments, speed and direction of travel during the pursuit, which was in line with guidance.

The pursuit was also carried out by appropriately trained officers in suitable vehicles, and the actions and decisions of officers involved in the pursuit were in line with local and national policy, and their training.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We did not identify any organisational learning in this case.