Fatal collision following police pursuit - Greater Manchester Police, September 2020

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the circumstances of a fatal collision in Salford found Greater Manchester Police officers involved in a short pursuit prior to the incident followed all relevant policies and procedures throughout.
 

We began an independent investigation following a mandatory referral from the force due to the fact a Mercedes C class failed to stop for officers in an unmarked car prior to the collision on Frederick Road on 23 September 2020.

The car struck two other vehicles, both Volkswagen Passats, shortly before 11.50pm. The two occupants of the Mercedes, died from their injuries. Three other people, who were all traveling in one of the VWs, were seriously hurt in the crash.

An inquest for the men concluded on 1 February 2023. The jury returned a narrative conclusion, stating the pursuit had been “legitimate and proportionate”.

Our investigation, which concluded in April 2021, looked at the actions and decision-making of police prior to and immediately following the collision.

We found the vehicle came to the attention of police while travelling at speed along Elton Street. They began to follow the car and observed it reaching speeds of 80mph in a 30mph zone and travelling through a red traffic light.

Officers activated their emergency equipment, but the Mercedes failed to stop and a pursuit developed, lasting just under a minute.

Evidence showed the Mercedes was travelling on the wrong side of the road when it struck two oncoming cars. There was no evidence of any contact between the police car and any other vehicle.

Several police officers arrived on the scene following the collision and provided CPR to the men, who were unconscious, prior to the arrival of paramedics and continued to assist once they took over.

One man was later pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital where he died a short time later.

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.