Motorcyclist injured in collision following pursuit - South Yorkshire Police, April 2019

On 25 April 2019 South Yorkshire Police (SYP) officers were on patrol as part of an off-road motorcycle team in the Manor estate, Sheffield. They encountered a man, who was riding an off-road motorcycle. The man then rode away from the officers. One of the officers followed the man for over a kilometre and illuminated his motorcycle’s emergency warning lights to alert the public. The man rode through a red traffic light and collided with a car belonging to a member of the public. The SYP officers called for an ambulance. Paramedics arrived and took the man to hospital, where he was treated for a broken right tibia.

Our investigators went to the housing estate where the incident took place and carried out door-to-door enquiries. In addition, they carried out a CCTV trawl and located video footage of part of the incident. They also interviewed witnesses, who saw part of the incident.

We met with two of the three police officers involved and took statements from them. We obtained a duty statement from the third officer, who retired during the investigation, and obtained the account that the injured person gave to police.

Evidence suggested that the man’s injury was a direct result of his involvement in a collision with a moving car. The way the man was driving immediately prior to the collision appears to have been a contributory factor. While the presence and actions of police officers might have had an impact on the man’s decision making and subsequent actions, there was no evidence that police caused or contributed to his serious injury. The man could have chosen to stop for police at any point prior to the collision. The evidence also showed that after the collision, the officers checked on the man’s welfare and requested an ambulance.

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

As part of our investigation we identified some areas of improvement for SYP, including providing its off-road motorcycle team with body-worn cameras. The force confirmed that this is currently under review and will be considered to ensure future compliance.

We completed our investigation in December 2019.