PSNI driver cleared of ‘Kamikaze’ manoeuvre accusation

It follows a complaint from a motorist that a police Land Rover travelling on the bus lane of the dual carriageway to Newtownards in Dundonald had pulled across the road, without stopping, to reach the police station.

The complainant also claimed that the Land Rover had “undertaken” him while being driven “illegally” in the bus lane in excess of the local 30mph speed limit on a date in July 2020.

The complaint was referred to the Police Ombudsman’s Office for an independent investigation.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ombudsman said information obtained from the vehicle’s data recorder contradicted the claims.

It said data showed that while crossing the carriageway to pull into Dundonald Police Station, the vehicle’s speed had gradually reduced from 30mph to a stop while it waited to cross the oncoming carriageway. It then accelerated to 8mph before coming to a stop at the station gates.

The investigator also examined information about the vehicle’s speed as it travelled along the Upper Newtownards Road before the manoeuvre, and found that while the speed had marginally exceeded the speed limit, it had not at any stage reached a speed that would have justified the issuing of a fixed-penalty notice.

Further inquiries established that traffic legislation permitted the use of bus lanes by police vehicles.

The investigator also concluded that the police driver had not “undertaken” the complainant as alleged. She noted that the complainant stated only that the Land Rover had passed him in the bus lane, not that it had pulled into the bus lane to pass him before pulling out in front of him again.

The investigator stated that it was not unusual that traffic in the bus lane was travelling more quickly, given that the incident happened shortly before 1pm when that lane was likely to be less congested than others.

The Police Ombudsman investigator determined that the complaint should not be upheld.

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