IOPC investigation after fatal road collision in Wolverhampton

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances of a collision in Wolverhampton in which two men, both in their early 20s, died following a pursuit involving Staffordshire Police.

The two men who died were in an Audi S3 which collided with a telegraph pole and a tree in Cannock Road, Essington, at around 4am on Sunday 1 August. They were confirmed dead at the scene by paramedics. A third man in the car was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

We have established that the Audi had been pursued for a short time by police who had earlier been called to a disturbance outside the Fever bar in Cannock.

After we were notified by Staffordshire Police we sent investigators to the scene and police post incident procedure to begin gathering information. We declared an independent investigation later in the morning.

IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said: “Our thoughts are with the men’s family and friends, and all those affected by this tragic incident.

“We have contacted both families of the men who died to explain our role and how our inquiries will progress.

“There is a mandatory requirement for forces to refer to us incidents like this which result in death or serious injury and our investigation will thoroughly examine the circumstances of the police involvement and whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed.”

Our investigation is still at an early stage and so far we have gathered initial accounts from the officers involved. We have also started to review police body-worn video footage.