Recommendation - College of Policing, October 2024
We identified organisational learning following an IOPC investigation where two marked police cars were travelling in convoy. A member of the public driving a car emerged from a junction and collided with one of the police cars, leaving them with serious injuries.
IOPC reference
Recommendations
The IOPC recommends that the College of Policing (CoP) consider amending Roads Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP) to include the dangers associated with driving in convoy during emergency response, particularly when negotiating junctions and to recommend a safe distance between the convoy vehicles.
Subsequently, the guidance should be incorporated into the CoP police driver programmes for ‘standard’ and ‘advanced’ drivers, with a specific learning outcome in the section ‘Demonstrate driving police vehicle for emergency response’ for convoy driving.
This follows an IOPC investigation where two marked police cars were travelling in convoy to a hare coursing immediate response graded incident, when a member of the public, driving a car, emerged from a junction into the path of the second police car and collided with it, leaving the member of the public with serious injuries.
Currently the CoP APP does not include specific guidance relating to driving in convoy when negotiating junctions. Additionally, the current learning outcomes for ‘Emergency Response Driving’ contained within the CoP ‘Police Driving Programme Standard and Advanced Response Driving’ courses does not include any specific requirement in relation to convoy driving in emergency response situations.
Roadcraft is widely used as a training aid by emergency services. It states: “never assume that your warning will be seen or heard by other road users”. Roadcraft recognises the dangers associated to driving in convoy, stating “use a different tone to other emergency vehicles when driving in convoy or following another emergency vehicle. The public may see one vehicle, but they may not expect a second or third.” Alerting all drivers to the associated risks will enable them to include this knowledge in their decision making and protocols in emergency response situations.
Not accepted
The College of Policing has been in discussions with the NPCC Police Driving portfolio since late 2023 concerning police vehicle incidents involving multiple police vehicles responding to a single incident. As a result, we have been proactive in taking the following actions to enhance learning outcomes in respect of multi-vehicle response within the core driving and riding modules of the Police Driving National Policing Curriculum. This work has been supported by a dedicated multi-vehicle response working group and engagement with the Roadcraft Standing Advisory Board.
Police Driving National Policing Curriculum (v2.7, July 2024)
In December 2023, the PDNPC was updated to include new learning outcomes for response drivers/riders as below:
- Response Driving module, LO14.6 states: ‘How to drive in multi-vehicle response (2 or more vehicles)’
- Response/Advanced Motorcycling, LO12.6 states: ‘How to ride in multi-vehicle response (2 or more vehicles)’
Multi-vehicle Response Working (MVR) Group
In support of the new learning outcomes within the PDNPC, the College of Policing formed a MVR working group in January 2024.
Membership consists of police driving instructor practitioners with existing experience of delivery multi-vehicle response. The working group has created a standardised lesson plan and presentation for use by driver training units nationally when instructing MVR. The first iteration of learning material was launched via College Learn in July 2024. Following continued engagement with Chief Driving Instructors, the MVR working group is currently reviewing the learning content, with the revised content due for release in early 2025.
Roadcraft
The College of Policing is a member of the Roadcraft Standing Advisory Board (SAB). During a SAB meeting in May 2024, the NPCC Police Driving representative requested an amendment to the current content within Chapter 13 Emergency Response ‘Vehicles responding in convoy’. This was to remove the term ‘convoy’ from the chapter and replace with relevant text to describe the risks presented by ‘multi-vehicle response’ and the measures to reduce then.
The College of Policing fully supported this proposal and the action was accepted by the board. This will align terminology between Roadcraft and the PDNPC.