Investigation underway into actions of police prior to fatal Norfolk collision

We are investigating the actions of Suffolk and Norfolk Constabularies prior to a fatal road traffic collision on the A143 in Norfolk on Sunday 13 August.

A 28-year-old woman died after the Nissan Juke she was driving was involved in a collision with a Land Rover Defender near Earsham shortly after 4.30pm.

We have established that prior to the collision, police officers were following the occupants of the Land Rover, which had been reported as stolen in Suffolk.

The vehicle travelled from Suffolk into Norfolk and was monitored overhead by the National Police Air Service (NPAS). An unmarked police vehicle was following behind the Land Rover on the A143 road, with marked police vehicles some distance behind.

Aerial footage from NPAS shows the driver of the Land Rover turned off the A143 road onto a side road. Police officers attempted to stop the vehicle and activated their lights, however the driver failed to stop and drove into a maize field, where he was initially pursued by officers through the field.

The vehicle continued to be monitored by NPAS and after leaving the field, the driver of the Land Rover then re-entered the A143 where, approximately 30 seconds later, it collided with a Nissan Juke travelling in the opposite direction.

Our investigation began the same evening after we were notified by the Constabularies.

IOPC director Steve Noonan said: "Our deepest sympathies are with the woman's family and friends and we have been in contact with her family to explain our role and the next steps.

"Our role is to investigate the actions and decision-making of police officers involved in this incident prior to the collision and we will examine whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed.

"After being notified of the incident our investigators went to the scene and to the police post-incident procedures to start gathering evidence."

As part of our enquiries, we are gathering and analysing footage including police body worn video, dash cam and NPAS footage, as well as relevant police logs and initial accounts that have been obtained from the officers involved.