WIREDGOV

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the actions of West Yorkshire Police prior to a collision in Bradford in which four men died found that officers acted in accordance with policy and procedures.

Murtza Chaudhry, aged 21, Arbaaz Hussain also aged 21, Zeeshan Khalid, aged 20 and Tayyab Siddique, aged 22 all died when their car, a grey BMW, hit a tree on Toller Lane in the early hours of 2 August 2018.

Before the crash, officers were concerned about the manner in which the car was being driven on Stony Lane. A short pursuit began after the BMW failed to stop for officers in an unmarked police car which had turned on its lights and sirens. The police car arrived at the collision scene approximately 11 seconds after the impact.

Our investigation examined:

• In-car footage from the unmarked police car and audio transmissions between the officers and police control room
• Detailed accounts from the officers in the unmarked police car
• Accounts from a number of witnesses, and
• Local CCTV from the scene.

All officers were treated as witnesses throughout the IOPC investigation. The investigation found that the appropriately trained, advanced police driver’s decision to engage in a pursuit after the failure to stop, and the continued risk assessment undertaken by officers during the pursuit, were in line with force and national policies.

IOPC Regional Director Miranda Biddle said: “This was an appalling tragedy, and my thoughts remain with the bereaved families and everyone affected. I would particularly like to reiterate my thanks to the men’s families and the police officers involved for their engagement throughout our investigation, which enabled our team to conclude their work as promptly as possible. The available evidence shows that the two officers in the unmarked police car acted appropriately throughout, and their decision-making was in line with procedures. They also acted swiftly to try to provide medical attention to the men on encountering the crash.”

Our investigation concluded in March 2019 and the investigation report was subsequently shared with the Coroner, the families of the deceased and West Yorkshire Police.

An inquest at Bradford Coroner’s Court which concluded yesterday returned a conclusion of death by misadventure for Mr Chaudhry, and that Mr Hussain, Mr Khalid and Mr Siddique died as a result of a road traffic collision.