Collision with vehicle being pursued - West Midlands Police, 31 August 2019

On 31 August 2019, a West Midlands Police traffic officer was on patrol in his marked police car in the Alum Rock area when he was alerted to the presence of a VW Golf being driven on cloned number plates. Following a short, authorised pursuit, the VW Golf collided with another car.

The two front seat occupants of the VW Golf fled the scene and it was revealed that an 8-year old girl travelling in the rear of the VW Golf had received a fractured femur.

We obtained in-car CCTV footage of the incident and took statements from relevant police officers and staff.

During the investigation, there was no indication any police officer had behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or had committed a criminal offence.

We concluded that officers conducted the pursuit in line with national guidance and West Midlands Police policy, and that there was no indication that the police may have caused or contributed to the injuries received by the young girl. Additionally, we did not identify any specific performance issues for West Midlands Police