Investigation into police contact before a road traffic collision and the initial management of the scene - Greater Manchester Police, March 2022

In March 2021, a single-crewed Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was driving on Burton Road, approaching the junction with Wilmslow Road. Dashcam footage from the police vehicle showed a car contravening a red traffic light. The officer followed the car as it turned immediately into another street.

The officer activated the vehicle’s emergency equipment and informed the control room that he was in pursuit of the car. As the car approached a junction, it contravened another red traffic light and collided with a taxi. 

The officer saw a man get out from the driver’s side of the car and run off into nearby gardens. The officer, a police dog handler, retrieved his police dog and carried out a brief search of the gardens before returning to the scene of the collision.  

Two passengers in the car received serious injuries as a result of the collision. One of them, later died in hospital. The driver and passenger of the taxi were also injured.

We attended the scene and conducted a detailed examination. Witness statements were taken from the police officer involved in the pursuit. CCTV footage, police officers’ body-worn camera footage, and vehicle-mounted camera footage was analysed and compared, along with data from the police vehicle and downloads of radio and telephone transmissions.  The accounts of a number of officers who attended the scene were also reviewed.

Our investigation concluded in June 2022, but we waited for all proceedings to be finalised before sharing our findings.

The investigation concluded that 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 identified potential learning relating to communication between services. A consultation process will take place with GMP.