Inquest jury returns its verdict

Date published: 01/07/2008

The inquest jury into the death of a serving GMP officer killed when his police van overturned has today, Tuesday 1 July 2008, returned its verdict.

PC Christopher Hart, 40, a response officer based in Bury, died when the police van he was driving was involved in a road collision in Openshaw on Saturday 12 January 2008.

At about 11.55pm that night, Chris was driving a police van along Pottery Lane in Openshaw.

As it came to the junction with Ashton Old Road the van was in collision with a VW Polo. As a result of the collision, it turned onto its side and came to rest against a set of traffic lights.

Chris suffered serious head injuries and died at the scene.

His passenger, a male police officer, suffered minor injuries in the incident and was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary. He was later released.

The three people in the VW Polo suffered minor injuries in the collision and were also taken to hospital.

The jury returned a narrative verdict in which it pinpointed a number of contributing factors to the incident. These were:

- The police van responded to a request for assistance in an inappropriate manner, which did not comply with GMP procedures.

- Sirens were not activated.

- The driver and passenger were not wearing seatbelts and the window was open, which contributed to the severity of head injuries.

Chief Superintendent Jon Rush, Bury Divisional Commander, said: "This was a tragic incident that claimed the life of a dedicated serving officer and a well-loved father.

"The incident happened nearly six months ago and the impact of such a respected officer is still being felt by his family, friends and colleagues in Bury.

"Chris joined the force just over four years ago and since then had developed into a highly professional and motivated officer.

"Chris was brought up within the Bury area and was serving his community when he died. It was a job that he loved and he was well known and respected for the enthusiastic and passionate way he policed the community.

"Chris' tragic death came at a time when Greater Manchester Police was examining its own standards and procedures in relation to police driver standards.

"In autumn 2007, GMP started this process and in May this year implemented more robust procedures for a number of situations faced by drivers. These include red lights, speed limits and the compulsory wearing of seatbelts.

"Under current law police drivers are exempt from wearing seatbelts, adhering to speed limits and traffic signals under certain and very specific circumstances and the vehicle is being used for policing purposes.

"However, GMP's force policy dictates that officers must wear seatbelts and drive the vehicle to a speed appropriate to their level of driver training and the incident they are responding to. This policy has been in force since January 1998 and is rigorously reinforced during officer driver training.

"In May 2008, the force issued new guidelines surrounding driving responsibilities. The main driving force behind these new guidelines was to increase safety for members of the public, other road-users and our officers.

"This new guidance reinforces what was earlier agreed.

"This is now being rigorously enforced by senior officers. We do have the power to remove people's authority to drive if they are caught driving without a seat-belt and we have used this.

"Included in other tougher guidelines for standard drivers is that when going through a red light, they must either stop at the line and give way to traffic, or be in a position to stop.

"The new guidelines are designed to positively impact upon and change the culture of our police drivers.

"While every effort is made to reduce police vehicle accidents, unfortunately they do occur from time-to-time due to the very nature of the job.

"Officers on a daily basis face a number of situations where they have to make an instant decision. On this occasion, Chris was doing his best to support his colleagues on division and over a matter of seconds a combination of events culminated in the loss of his life.

"The findings of the GMP investigation will now be reported to the national police committee responsible for police driving and training.

"I also want to pay tribute to PC Colin Harrison, who was Chris' passenger when this tragic accident occurred.

"Following the impact Colin's first thoughts were for his friend and colleague.

"He has continued to work at Bury throughout this difficult time and is a valued member of my staff."

Manchester coroner Nigel Meadows said he will now write to the Acting Chief Constable to bring the findings to his attention and to request what is being done in response, to reduce the risk of this happening again.

Mr Meadows said: "I hope that some good will come out of this and I am sure there will be a change of culture.

"It would be inappropriate for members of the public to make calls saying they have seen officers not wearing their seatbelts. It is a matter for the police."

Chris Burrows, of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: "Chris' death hit his colleagues hard.

"He was an extremely popular and likeable officer who would do anything to help a colleague or friend in need.

"His tragic and untimely death once again demonstrates the potentially dangerous nature of the job."

Michael and Dorothy Hart, Chris' parents said: "We wish to express our sincere thanks to the officers of Greater Manchester Police for their continued support, since this tragic accident, which has been very traumatic."