Northumbria Police officers involved in pursuit prior to care home crash acted in 'exemplary manner'

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation following a serious collision in Sunderland, following a police pursuit, found the Northumbria Police officers involved acted diligently and with integrity.

We independently investigated the decision-making and actions of the officers during and after the pursuit on 10 July, which ended when a BMW that had failed to stop for police crashed into the Highcliffe Care Home in Witherwack.

Officers in an unmarked vehicle responded to reports of a stolen car, and possible kidnapping, and pursued the BMW for around four minutes prior to the collision. The driver was seriously injured, and two care home residents suffered broken bones when the car crashed into the side of the building.

In November, the driver was jailed for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well the earlier robbery offence.

IOPC Director Emily Barry said: "This must have been a terrifying incident, particularly for the care home residents and staff, and my thoughts are with all those affected.

"Our independent investigation has made clear that the responsibility for this collision, and the resulting injuries, lies solely with the BMW driver, who had every opportunity to do the right thing and stop for police - but chose instead to put lives at risk.

"This was a thorough investigation, and I am grateful that all officers involved cooperated fully with our enquiries, which helped us conclude our work swiftly. The evidence shows that, despite being faced with an extremely challenging situation, all officers involved acted in an exemplary manner."

We received a referral from the force on 10 July and declared an independent investigation on 17 July after one of the residents of the care home subsequently died. It was later established that this death was not related to the collision.

As part of our enquiries, we reviewed police dashcam and body-worn video footage, as well as incident and call logs. The officers provided detailed accounts of their actions and decision-making.

Our investigation, completed within five months, found no indication that any person serving with the police may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

There was evidence of appropriate risk-assessment and justification for decisions taken at each stage of the pursuit. The police driver maintained a safe distance at all times and backed off to give the BMW driver more space ahead of the T-junction where they lost control.

While the speeds were at times very high, reaching more than 90mph, the serious nature of the suspected offence and the fact the suspects' identities were unknown meant it was appropriate for police to continue the pursuit.

There was also evidence police attempted to avoid the pursuit, including requesting helicopter assistance, which would have allowed the BMW to be tracked from the air.

In November, the driver of the BMW, Sam Asgari-Tabar, was jailed was jailed for five years and eight months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and robbery. His passenger Reece Parish was sentenced to three years and one month imprisonment after admitting robbery. The sentences were the result of an investigation by Northumbria Police.

• Northumbria Police
• Road traffic incidents