Lessons to be learned over fatal Smethwick smash

Kevin Burris, from Smethwick, died after his Ford Focus collided with a CCTV pole near to City Hospital.

He was on his way to the hospital to visit his brother Karl, who was in a critical condition there after being stabbed at an event called Vibe, held at the Identity Recording Studio in Summit Crescent, Smethwick. Karl would later recover from his injuries.

The smash happened in Dudley Road at around 5am on March 26, 2010, and four passengers in the car were also injured.

The vehicle had previously been seen travelling at speed by two police officers who then began to accelerate in an attempt to catch up with the car.

West Midlands Police referred the incident to the IPCC and two of the passengers had made complaints, alleging a police pursuit caused the accident. An inquest on 29-year-old Mr Burris, of Woodland Street, Smethwick, reached a verdict of accidental death and an investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the officers involved.

The investigation found that, while there was a possibility that the occupants of the vehicle were aware of the presence of the police car, the officers had not had time to direct the driver of the Focus to stop.

There was a time gap of 20 seconds between the crash and the unmarked police car arriving at the collision site.

The investigators recommended some lessons for the police force and it is understood that all of the recommendations have now been addressed.

It found the pursuit policy of West Midlands Police conflicted with that of the national Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines. The investigation also found that the in-car recording system was not switched on at the time of the collision.

The IPCC said it could have provided vital evidence which would have assisted the investigation.

An upgrading programme of in-car recording devices and ensuring officers are adequately trained was also recommended.

IPCC deputy chair Sarah Green said: "My thoughts are with Kevin's family and friends. His death was a tragedy and cut short a young life.

"Our investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by the officers, however it did identify learning recommendations for the force, which they have accepted."

Circumstances

The investigation looked at the full circumstances that led up to the fatal collision, the actions of the police officers in the unmarked police vehicle, whether they complied with local and national pursuit management policies and the risk assessment and decisions made by both the officers involved and control room staff.

Mr Burris's mother Gene Brown recently paid tribute to him. "Kevin was a very loving person, especially towards me, and protective," she said. "We used to sing and dance around the house together. He was very family oriented. He would do anything to help his family, but he would always be helping out the neighbours too."