Police response to a road traffic collision - Staffordshire Police, October 2022

In October 2022, Staffordshire police officers attended a report of a vehicle having collided into a wooded area and people having made off on foot, one of whom appeared injured as they were being assisted to walk by others.  

A dog handler attended and conducted a search of the wooded area in which the vehicle had come to rest.  The driver of the vehicle was arrested from their home address close to the scene of the road traffic collision.  The body of a woman, subsequently identified as one of the passengers in the vehicle, was found in the early hours the same day, lying near a grassed area next to the road approximately 60 metres from the collision site.

Officers attended the scene and conducted area searches but did not locate the passenger.  The address of the driver was attended and the suspected driver was arrested.  

We obtained witness statements of attending officers and members of the public. We reveiwed police logs and officer body worn video footage.  We reviewed CCTV, including ring doorbell and dashcam footage. 

An independent review of the dog handler’s actions was undertaken and all relevant training and guidance considered.

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

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system, and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. 

In this case, the investigation has not identified any organisational learning.