Investigation into police pursuit after car catches fire – Metropolitan Police Service, October 2024
Two police officers driving a marked police vehicle were on patrol in a London borough. They saw a man driving a car while using his mobile phone and signalled for him to pull over by activating their blue lights and siren.
The driver appeared to slow down but then pulled away and drove off. A pursuit was authorised which lasted several minutes. The pursued car mounted a pavement before reaching some bollards. It reversed, hitting the rear of the police vehicle.
The pursued car drove away at speed and the pursuit continued with the police vehicle reaching a top speed of 74mph. The pursued car moved into an oncoming lane, clipping the kerb and flipping into the air. The car collided with a concrete barrier before catching fire as it came to rest.
The police officers helped to pull two rear passengers out of the car and gave them first aid. One of the rear passengers sadly died in hospital, and the other remained in a critical condition.
The driver left the car on their own, sustaining minor injuries. They were arrested and in March 2025 they were sentenced to 10 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. They received concurrent sentences for the serous injuries caused to the other passenger, driving under the influence of drugs, and for offences including driving without insurance or a license.
We received a death or serious injury referral from the force and decided to independently investigate if the pursuit and the way it was carried out was justified, proportionate and in line with the law and local and national policies.
We examined the communications between officers and the control room, and whether the actions of the police may have caused or contributed to the collision.
We took statements from the officers and reviewed their body worn video footage. We reviewed the police vehicle’s in-car video footage and the incident data recorder, as well as control room and radio transmissions. A forensic vehicle examination was conducted on both vehicles involved in the pursuit.
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 pursue the car was proportionate. The driver of the car was using a mobile phone while driving and did not stop for the police, colliding with the police vehicle. The control room were promptly informed about the pursuit and officers made regular risk assessments and frequent, accurate updates.
Our evidence showed that pedestrian and vehicle traffic was light, and the road conditions were favourable. The officers were suitably trained and driving a vehicle suitable for pursuits. We found that the conduct of the pursuit was in line with the law and the relevant national and local policies.
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.