WIREDGOV

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has recommended that Avon and Somerset Constabulary improves its driver training following an investigation into a road traffic incident in Bristol last year.

Laura McEwan, aged 33 at the time, was hit by a police vehicle in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol at around 10pm on Saturday 29 November 2014. She sustained significant injuries and the IPCC conducted an independent investigation into the circumstances of the collision.

The investigation concluded that the speed and manner of the police officer’s driving was appropriate in the circumstances, and that the weight of the evidence suggested the police car was travelling with both its lights and sirens on at the time of the incident.

The IPCC did find, however, that Avon and Somerset Constabulary did not have enough driver trainers for response driving and so recommended that this needed to be addressed by the force. Additionally the IPCC recommended that the force should ensure that police drivers who are required to drive at high speeds receive refresher training every five years in line with the Road Safety Act 2006.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary has accepted both recommendations and are looking at how they will put them into practice.

IPCC Associate Commissioner Guido Liguori said: “This was an unfortunate accident in which a young woman suffered serious injuries. The investigator has found no case to answer for the driver of the vehicle. We have however recommended that Avon and Somerset Constabulary ensure that they have enough driver trainers and that all response drivers receive refresher courses every five years.”

The investigation report is available on our website here.