IPOC learning recommendation fatal collision following pursuit Feb 2019 IX-01103-19

Title: IOPC learning recommendation made under paragraph 28A of schedule 3 to the Police Reform Act 2002.
Our reference: IX-01103-19
Author: Prevention and Learning Team, Directorate of Professional Standards

Fatal Collision Following Pursuit - February 2019

On 23 February 2019, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers pursued a van after it had failed to stop for them. The pursuit came to an end when the van collided head-on with another vehicle. Having realised the driver and occupant were inside the vehicle the van had crashed into, one of the officers tried to gain access to them using a life hammer to enter the vehicle. Both died at the scene of the collision.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated the circumstances of the incident. During the course of its investigation the IOPC made the following learning recommendation to the MPS in September 2019:

Recommendation

The IOPC recommends that the Metropolitan Police Service ensures that:

• Its officers understand how and where on a vehicle life hammers should be used, and
  where alternative methods may be more effective.
• It has a system for making sure that life hammers are replaced where necessary.
• Where possible any future procurement exercises obtain equipment that officers can
  use to break all types of vehicle windows, including laminated windows.
•  

MPS Response

The MPS ensures its officers understand how and where on a vehicle life hammers should be used, and where alternative methods may be more effective. It is accepted that the MPS has no guidance on the use of the glass breaking hammer installed in its vehicles (brand name LifeHammer).

The hammer and alternative equipment are currently being assessed by a review team set up by the Fleet Board Working Group. On 22nd November 2019 the Vehicle Window Glass Equipment Review Team discussed and agreed that it is necessary to provide MPS vehicle users with interim information and guidance about the hammer currently installed in some MPS vehicles, and how it should be used.

This communication will explain that the hammer is provided solely as an escape tool to help the occupants exit the vehicle in the event of an emergency. This is in line with the published recommendations of its manufacturer.

In addition, details of how the hammer should be used will be provided (in line with the manufacturer’s instructions), and it will also be made clear that using the hammer for purposes other than MPS vehicle escape could make it blunt and less effective.

Following approval by the relevant parties (Head of Fleet Services, Directorate of Professional Standards and Directorate of Media and Communication), the guidance will be published on the MPS intranet site as an Operational Notice by Friday 6th December 2019.
With regards to alternative methods which may be more effective when an MPS vehicle user (or member of the public) is trapped in a vehicle, the internal communications will include a reminder that the London Fire Brigade has specialist equipment with which to rescue people from a vehicle in an emergency situation.

The MPS ensures it has a system for making sure that life hammers are replaced where
necessary.

The MPS have a system in place for ensuring that Life Hammers are replaced when used according to manufacturer’s instructions, namely exiting a vehicle in an emergency situation. When the hammer is used for this purpose, the vehicle will have been damaged in an accident or other incident. The vehicle will therefore be collected and taken to one of the MPS or contractor workshops for repair. Before repaired vehicles are returned to service, the hammer will be replaced if it is missing or if it shows any signs of use. 

Communications are being developed specifically to ensure that the hammer is only used to aid escape from a MPS vehicle in an emergency situation. However, if the hammer is used for another purpose leading to concerns about its effectiveness as an escape tool, a replacement hammer will be provided on request. Please note that this situation will be reviewed following the completion of the current vehicle window glass-breaking equipment review in 2020.

Where possible any future procurement exercises obtain equipment that officers can use to
break all types of vehicle windows, including laminated windows.

The Fleet Board Working Group, the Strategic Fleet Board, and Officer Safety Board will be involved in agreeing any changes to be made to current equipment and/or the introduction of new equipment. 

To inform their decisions, the Vehicle Window Glass Equipment Review Team are currently reviewing equipment capable of breaking laminated windows. 

The provisional date for the review team’s recommendation of equipment for MPS use is June 2020. The approval of recommendations by the Fleet Board Working Group and Officer Safety Board will be taken in the Summer of 2020. It will only be at this time that a date can be advised when any changes to in-vehicle equipment will be made, and new guidance introduced.