Police officer injured in collision - North Wales Police, February 2017

On 25 January 2016, a North Wales Police officer, who was driving an unmarked police vehicle, was involved in a single-vehicle road traffic collision. The officer sustained serious injuries as a result.

A subsequent North Wales Police collision investigation revealed that emergency lights on the vehicle had been covered with nylon material to prevent members of the public identifying it as a police car when the lights were not in use.

The force voluntarily referred this matter to us in February 2017, after its Professional Standards Department was made aware of a number of concerns regarding the collision.

During the investigation, our investigators reviewed documents and correspondence relating to the collision and the collision investigation, obtained statements from several witnesses and accounts from three subjects of the investigation, and reviewed local and national policy and guidance documents.

Our investigation identified that there is no national standardisation for covering lights and, as a result, a number of police forces are using various methods, including nylon tights.

Based on the evidence available, we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, or had committed a criminal offence.

Since concluding our investigation in December 2017 we have consulted with the National Police Chiefs’ Council. As a result of our investigation, national guidance will be developed to standardise the practice of covering emergency blue lights on unmarked police cars (see below).