Police criticised for inquiry delay (From Swindon Advertiser)

Police criticised for inquiry delay

10:50am Thursday 9th July 2009

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A POLICE watchdog has criticised Swindon police officers for taking more than 13 hours to inform it of an incident which left a motorcyclist with a broken neck.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has launched an investigation into the incident in Poplar Avenue, Pinehurst.

Police officers were pursuing the motorcyclist – named as Pinehurst man Kris Smart – at about 1.30am on Wednesday, July 1, when he collided with a parked car.

Mr Smart, 20, remained in a serious but stable condition in the Great Western Hospital last night, having broken his neck in three places. An IPCC spokesman said the matter had been referred to the body at approximately 3pm on Wednesday, July 1 – 13-and-a-half hours after the incident.

The spokesman said: “It should have been referred in the early hours of the morning.

“We are available 24 hours a day specifically for these types of cases so that we can make the decision about whether to send someone to the scene.

“Sometimes we are called at three in the morning and we decide not to send anyone out, but if we are not called at the time of the incident we can’t make that decision.

“Any detective will tell you that the first few hours are crucial. They are the golden period when everything is fresh and the scene is preserved.”

The spokesman added the South West commissioner of the IPCC, Rebecca Marsh, had made a point of releasing a statement due to the seriousness of the issue.

Ms Marsh said: “This young man suffered serious injuries and as such there is no question that it is a mandatory referral under the Police Reform Act.

“Despite this the matter was not referred in time to the IPCC for it to consider whether to deploy an investigator to the scene.”

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “We are aware of the IPCC statement and are fully co-operating with them. As this is an ongoing investigation, it is inappropriate for us to comment further.”

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