Ombudsman disciplines officers over crash probe failures

One of the drivers lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman’s Office that she only avoided being taken to court because her lawyer uncovered evidence that she was not to blame for the crash.

The crash happened on a single carriageway in April 2015 and involved two cars going in opposite directions. A number of people sustained minor injuries.

Inquiries by a police ombudsman investigator found that the investigating officer did not take a statement from a man who reported the collision to police.

He also failed to seek clarification for inconsistencies in evidence or take account of marks on the road which would have helped him identify that he had blamed the wrong driver.

However, the investigation did not uphold further complaints that the officer had been discourteous, or had failed to act in an impartial manner.

The officer was disciplined for the errors, as was his supervisor.