Fatal collision following pursuit - Northumbria Police, September 2018

On 24 September 2018, a Northumbria Police officer in a marked police car saw a VW Passat in the Walker area of Newcastle. This Passat was believed to have been involved in an incident earlier that night. The officer illuminated his vehicle’s blue lights and sirens, however, the Passat did not stop and drove away at speed. The officer pursued the Passat for less than two minutes before losing sight of it and abandoning the pursuit. A short time later the Passat crashed into the front of a pub, striking two men who were standing outside. One man suffered fatal injuries and the second, serious injuries. All three occupants of the Passat also sustained injuries.

Our investigators obtained an account from the police officer and examined in-car data from the police car. We also examined audio recordings, incident logs and CCTV footage. Investigators also considered the officer’s actions alongside local and national police policies and found that he had complied with them as required. The officer was treated as a witness and co-operated fully with this investigation.

The evidence indicated that the officer conducted dynamic risk assessments throughout the pursuit and correctly assessed that he should abandon it once it was no longer proportionate to continue. The evidence also showed that the officer complied at all times with his training and local and national policies and guidance.

Our investigation concluded there was no indication the officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence. There was also no evidence that the officer’s actions may have caused or contributed to the man’s death or the injuries sustained by the other individuals involved. We completed our investigation in November 2018.

At the conclusion of our investigation, we shared our report with Northumbria Police, who agreed with our findings.

In June 2019 the driver of the car was convicted of one count of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and other motoring related offences. The coroner’s inquest was finalised in September 2019.