Police contact with two people on a moped before collision - Greater Manchester Police, June 2018

At 2.15pm on 27 June 2018, a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer in a marked police vehicle encountered a moped riding in the opposite direction. The officer was suspicious about the number plate on the moped, noticing that the rider and passenger were wearing balaclavas underneath their helmets on what was a hot day. The police officer turned his police vehicle around, and as he did so, the moped rode away at speed. The officer reported to the control room that a moped had just “made off”.

Approximately a minute later, the officer reported to the control room that the moped had crashed on Albert Street, Manchester. The moped had been turning right on to the street when it collided with another vehicle that was already turning onto the same street. The two people on the moped were injured. Both suffered a broken leg, with one also receiving a pelvic injury. The occupants of the other vehicle were uninjured.

Our investigators retrieved and reviewed CCTV footage recovered along the pursuit route, which showed stages of the pursuit, as well as the data recorded by the police vehicle. They obtained a statement from an independent witness before interviewing the police officer involved in the pursuit as a witness.

There was a legitimate policing purpose for the pursuit, and independent evidence showed that the national police pursuit policy was adhered to.

Based on the evidence available we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings, or had committed a criminal offence. We completed our investigation in January 2019.