04/08/2005
For Immediate Release

IPCC high level summit on fatal police driving incidents

The Independent Police Complaints Commission held a high level summit yesterday to discuss its major study on fatal police driving incidents.

Attendants at the summit included the Police Federation, Association of Chief Police Officers, Superintendents Association, Inquest, ROSPA, RoadPeace, the Home Office and other stakeholders.

IPCC Deputy Chair John Wadham said:

“The summit had some very helpful ideas for our review into police road traffic incidents.

“Our report will take about 18 months to complete and will be submitted to Parliament. We will be identifying good practice and seeking to influence policy.

“Since the IPCC was set up in April 2004, 163 police road traffic incidents have been referred to us. In the three months April to June 2005, 33 cases have been referred and are being investigated.

“There is public concern about this issue and our study will look for ways of reducing the risk to the public and police officers from pursuits and 999 response driving.”

Representatives from ACPO, the Superintendents Association and the Police Federation welcomed the IPCC study and told the summit they would be cooperating fully with the IPCC.

The police representatives said they supported greater police training, the use of technology in police vehicles (the so-called black box) and any improvements to operational guidelines.

Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales Police, leads for the Association of Chief Police Officers on road policing.   He said:  "We have a zero tolerance of rail or air crashes but tolerate road death.  It is important to find out why the number of deaths involving police vehicles has gone up in the past seven years."

Deborah Coles co-director of INQUEST said:

"The IPCC must take into account the views of bereaved families and the evidence from inquests to ensure lessons are learnt and that there is greater accountability following these unnecessary deaths."

-ends-

Notes for editors

The review is being conducted under powers given to the IPCC in section 11 of the Police Reform Act 2002, which allows the IPCC to present reports to the Secretary of State on matters that have come to the Commission's notice and which are of serious gravity. All such reports are laid before Parliament.

For further information please contact:

David Nicholson, IPCC Press Officer on 020 7166 3250 or Sarah Clifford, Director of Communications on 020 7166 3068, or out-of-hours on 07717 851157.