Investigation concludes following death of pedestrian in collision with police car in West London

Our investigation, after a man was sadly killed while crossing a road in West London, concluded that the police car which collided with him had been driven in accordance with force and national policies.

We looked at the actions of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) driver prior to the incident on 13 June 2020 in Brentford, in which Paweł Krowiak, aged 39, was struck by a police car responding to an emergency incident.

Officers provided emergency first aid and were then assisted by paramedics from London Ambulance Service but Mr Krowiak was pronounced dead at the scene.

Our investigation found that, at just after 4pm, police were alerted to an incident in Hounslow which was graded an immediate response requiring attendance within 15 minutes. Blue lights and sirens were activated on the police BMW before it collided with Mr Krowiak at the junction of Great West Road and Boston Manor Road. It was travelling at about 73mph in a 40mph zone, but in the circumstances, this did not contravene MPS or national policing policies.

An inquest into Mr Krowiak’s death concluded on 15 July at West London Coroner’s Court with the jury finding the cause of death to be death by road traffic collision.

IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said: “My sympathies are with Mr Krowiak’s family and friends and all those affected by his death. Our investigation found that the police driver, who was appropriately-trained, was driving in accordance with force and national policies when the collision happened.

“As well as providing independent scrutiny, our investigation has also helped to inform the inquest proceedings and, I hope, given some answers to Mr Krowiak’s family about the tragic circumstances in which he died.”

During the IOPC investigation, which concluded in August 2021, IOPC investigators attended the scene of the collision, the police post incident procedure, the post-mortem examination, and oversaw the forensic vehicle examination. We obtained and analysed CCTV, police radio transmissions, and body-worn video footage. Witness statements were obtained from members of public, police officers, and medical professionals.