Investigation into fatal collision between marked police car and motorcycle – Northumbria Police, July 2022

In July 2022, the North East Ambulance Service contacted Northumbria Police to request police respond to a report of a baby who had stopped breathing. A police officer was sent in response to this emergency incident.

The police officer was suitably trained and began their journey to the incident in a marked police car. They activated the car’s emergency warning system which included blue lights and a siren.

The police officer approached a junction which was controlled by traffic lights. They drove through a red traffic light and collided with a motorcycle. The motorcycle was being driven by a member of the public, with his wife as a pillion passenger.

The man and woman dismounted from the motorcycle onto the carriageway, and both sustained serious injuries. The police officer called for an ambulance, and both were taken to hospital. The man suffered significant injuries including fractures and a bleed on the brain. The woman also suffered extensive injuries and sadly died in hospital.

We received a death or serious injury referral from the force on 11 July and decided to independently investigate the incident.

On 18 July, we received a conduct referral from the force. This related to disclosures that the police officer did not use his seatbelt, and the radio in his police car was playing ‘at volume 10’ while he responded to the incident.

We investigated the circumstances of the collision between the police car and the motorcycle. This included the dispatch of the officer and what communications were passed to them; the officer’s decisions and actions before and during the collision with the motorcycle; their level of training and authorisation as a response driver; and the nature and extent of police contact with the man and his wife.

We also examined whether police actions may have caused or contributed to the man’s injuries and the woman’s death, and whether the decisions and actions of officers and staff were in line with policies, procedures and guidance.

Our investigators reviewed dashcam footage from the motorcycle rider and from other drivers who were at the collision. We obtained witness statements and reviewed forensic collision investigation reports alongside national and local policies and guidance.

We commissioned a police driving expert to evaluate the officer’s manner of driving. We also considered medical evidence in relation to those who were injured and the officer themselves.

We interviewed the officer, who provided a prepared statement and gave ‘no comment’ responses during the interview.

We concluded there was an indication that the officer may have committed a criminal offence and had behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings.

Police force driving policies are clear that safety must not be compromised and that no emergency is so great as to justify an accident. In relation to traffic lights, the Northumbria Police code of practice states that a red traffic light should be treated as a give way, and an officer should never drive through it unless they are sure they can do so safely. We found that the police officer had not negotiated the red traffic light in accordance with their training.

We found that having the radio on may have distracted the officer, and our evidence showed the officer acted outside of guidance and training by not wearing their seatbelt.

We referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who decided to pursue criminal proceedings.

The CPS authorised charges against the officer for causing death and/or injury by dangerous driving and causing death and/or injury by careless driving. The officer was found guilty in April 2026 of the dangerous driving offences and sentenced to two years in prison. The sentence was suspended for 18 months, meaning the officer was released but would be recalled to prison if he re-offended during this period. 

We found that the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct with regards to failing to brake, or slow down, before passing a red traffic light, and contravening police guidance and codes of practice for police drivers. We shared our report with the force, who agreed. We decided that disciplinary proceedings should be brought against the officer and that they should take the form of a misconduct hearing.

The misconduct hearing was accelerated following the officer’s criminal conviction and concluded in April 2026. The officer was found to have breached the police standards of professional behaviour for duties and responsibilities, and conduct. These amounted to a finding of gross misconduct, and the officer was dismissed without notice. They were placed on the barred list which prevents them from working for the police again.

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.