Investigation concludes following fatal police road traffic incident in Aylesbury

A Thames Valley Police (TVP) officer who was responding to an emergency call before his vehicle was involved in a fatal collision acted in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures, our investigation concluded.

An inquest which ended today (21 October) at Beaconsfield Coroner’s Court determined Kimberley Cameron, 27, died as a result of a road traffic collision.

We received a referral from TVP following the incident on 16 April 2021 on the A41 Bicester Road at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Our investigation, which concluded in February 2022, found the police constable was responding to a report of a car crash on the A41 in Waddesdon, where two children were trapped in a car which was on fire. The call was assigned grade 1, which meant an immediate response - within 15 minutes - was required.

The officer, who was driving a marked police vehicle, encountered slow moving traffic, so moved into the oncoming lane where there was little to no traffic.

His vehicle was travelling at approximately 62mph in a 40mph zone with its lights and sirens on when it struck Ms Cameron as she crossed between two stationary cars on a pedestrian crossing when the lights were at green for traffic. It is believed she may have been wearing her noise cancelling earbuds as they were found near her.

We concluded that even if the officer had been driving at or below the speed limit, it is likely he would not have been able to brake in time to avoid hitting Ms Cameron. Sadly, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

In June 2021, Kimberley’s father submitted a formal complaint to the IOPC about the manner of police driving, specifically the speed and hazard perception. We concluded the service provided by the police was acceptable.

IOPC Regional Director Graham Beesley said: “Our thoughts are with Kimberley’s family, friends and all those affected by this incident.

“All our evidence suggests that Kimberley’s death was a tragic accident.

“Our investigation was independent of the police and aimed to understand events leading up to the collision. We found the officer who was driving acted appropriately and in line with the Thames Valley Police Driver Policy.

“The evidence we gathered was provided to the coroner to assist with the inquest proceedings, which we hope has helped answer some of Kimberley’s family’s questions about that day.”

Investigators gathered and analysed audio-visual evidence, including dashcam and body-worn video footage. In addition, witness statements were taken from police officers, medical staff and civilians at the scene.

A forensic collision investigator from an outside force was appointed to examine the technical evidence and data. Local and national policies and procedures were analysed alongside legislation to determine whether the manner of driving was compliant.