A PC has been charged with causing death by careless driving following a police collision in Whitton Road, Hounslow, on 1 November 2019 in which a pedestrian died.
PC Daniel Francis, 33, attached to the West Area Command Unit, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 December.
Our thoughts remain with family and friends of Andrew Brown, 23, who sadly died in hospital following the collision.
The charges follow an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service. The MPS has fully co-operated at every stage.
PC Francis, who was the driver of a marked police car, remains on restricted duties at this time.
Misconduct matters will be considered at the conclusion of criminal proceedings.
Second west London death
That wasn’t the only incident in West London involving police in the last year.
A civilian was killed after being hit by a police car heading to an emergency in West London on 14th June 2020.
Bystanders said the man was using a crossing when he was struck in Brentford this afternoon.
The Metropolitan Police and the IOPC have launched an investigation after the death on Boston Manor Road.
Stunned witnesses said the man in his 40s was thrown in the air like a rag doll.
The officers in the marked police vehicle tried to save the man but his injuries were too severe.
A spokesman for the IOPC said: “We have begun an independent investigation into a fatal collision involving a Metropolitan Police vehicle and a male pedestrian on the A4 Great West Rd, Brentford this afternoon (Saturday).
“The collision occurred close to the junction with Boston Manor Rd at around 4.30 pm.
“The marked police vehicle was responding to an emergency call at the time.
Leistershire
Even as recently as today a police car was involved in crash with another vehicle while on its way to an emergency call out.
One person who was in the police car was injured in the accident, which happened in Derby Road, Loughborough, directly outside the fish and chip shop, the 300 Spartans.
Derby arrest officer
Derbyshire police have confirmed that one of its serving serving officers has been arrested after a man died in a crash in a village in the county.
James Bane, a 50-year-old man from Nottingham, was killed after being involved in the incident just after midday on Tuesday, September 28, in Etwall, which involved an unmarked police car, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Mr Bane, who was a pedestrian, received fatal injuries after a crash between a Peugeot 208 and two parked cars, a Mazda and a Volkswagen Up, in Egginton Road. A 34-year-old female pedestrian was also injured in the crash.
Derbyshire police had previously confirmed that a 50-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and had subsequently been released on bail pending further enquiries.
Now the force has confirmed the arrest of a serving police officer who has been suspended from duties while investigations continue.
The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the circumstances.
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: “An independent investigation is being carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after we received a referral from Derbyshire police following a fatal road traffic collision.
“IOPC investigators are now looking into the circumstances around the collision which involved an unmarked police car on Egginton Road, Etwall, just after midday on Tuesday, September 28.
“A 50-year-old man sadly died and our thoughts are with his family. Our investigation is still at an early stage.”
The crash prompted a heavy presence from the emergency services with numerous ambulances and a large number of police vehicles attending the scene. The road was closed for several hours.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire police said: “We can confirm that a serving police officer has been arrested in connection with a fatal collision in Etwall on Tuesday 28 September.”
The force has previously put an appeal out for witnesses to come forward following the incident.
In a statement released on Saturday, October 2, it said: “Detectives investigating a fatal road traffic collision in Etwall on Tuesday, September 28, are appealing for further help from the public.
“We would like to hear from anyone who might have driven along Egginton Road, Etwall between the hours of 8.50am and 12pm that may have dash cam footage.
Other Incidents
Sadly a similar incident happened in 2020 when a teenager has been left with critical injuries after being hit by a police car on Boxing Day.
A police watchdog is investigating the incident, which saw the 15-year-old boy from Stockport knocked down while officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were responding to a domestic call.
He was given trauma care for a head injury at the scene by officers, before being taken to hospital in an ambulance, where he remains in a critical condition.
In a statement, GMP said: “At around 9.30pm on Saturday 26 December 2020, officers were responding to a domestic disturbance incident when they were involved in a collision with a pedestrian on Garners Lane in Stockport.
A Greater Manchester Police officer has been suspended from driving after a boy was knocked down by a police car and left fighting for his life.
Statistics
Forty-two people were killed in road traffic accidents involving the police in England and Wales last year, the highest number in more than a decade and the third highest on record.
Thirty deaths occurred during police pursuits, an increase of 13 on the previous year and the highest since 32 in 2005-06.
That was the worst year on record for police-related road traffic accidents, with 48 deaths.
Twelve of the 2018-19 fatalities were drivers of vehicles being pursued, including one motorcyclist.
Eight were passengers in the car being pursued, seven were the driver or passenger of a vehicle hit by the car being pursued, and three were pedestrians hit by the pursued vehicle.
Four people were killed when they were hit by police vehicles responding to an emergency call.
Another death occurred when an unmarked police car responding to an emergency call collided with another vehicle.
Twenty-seven of those killed were men and 15 women. Twenty-two were aged between 18 and 30, and eight over 60.
The oldest victim was a 93-year-old pedestrian, who police said appeared to fall in “very close proximity” to a van on patrol. Details of the youngest were not given.
The figures were published in a statistical release from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, which recorded 276 deaths during or following police contact in the 2018-19 financial year,
