Police contact with a man before he is injured - Essex Police, September 2017

In the early hours of 21 September 2017, Essex Police responded to reports of a man walking along the A133 near Clacton-on-Sea. A police officer arrived, persuaded the man to get into the police car and dropped him off at a nearby service station a short time later.

Approximately twenty minutes afterwards, Essex Police received further reports that a man had been hit by an HGV lorry on the A133 and was seriously injured. It was established that it was the same man who had been dropped off by the police officer earlier.

The investigation looked into the circumstances of the injured man’s contact with the police officer prior to the collision. Investigators obtained three statements from the officer involved and analysed the relevant evidence, including CCTV footage and airwave recordings.

The officer said that he had had no concerns about the man’s welfare and did not suspect him of criminal offences. He advised the man that walking on the road was dangerous and took him to the next place where he would be safe.

The investigator found no indication that any person serving with the police may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.