Norfolk chief constable admits failings in hit-and-run case

Chief constable Paul Sanford made the comments in the light of this newspaper's revelations about the incident, which saw a patrol car ram into the back of another motorist at almost 50mph, before being driven off.

A Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team (RAPT) vehicle crashing into the back of an Audi on the A146 (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

The shaken woman driving the Audi pulls over following the crash (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

The police BMW X5 armed response vehicle continues without stopping (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

PC Karl Warren, who was behind the wheel of the marked BMW, has seen criminal charges against him dropped after he claimed to have been suffering an episode of amnesia at the time, which left him with no memory of the crash.

Another officer, PC Ryan Hargraves, who was a passenger in the police vehicle at the time, is facing a misconduct hearing for not reporting the crash until the following day - meaning his colleague could not be breathalysed - but will not lose his job.

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The extraordinary case has raised a series of questions about Mr Sanford's force and how the public can have confidence in its officers.

He admitted the incident “reflects poorly on the constabulary” but insisted it had “taken what action we can in response to it”.

Norfolk police and crime commissioner Giles Orpen-Smellie and chief constable Paul Sanford have both said they are determined to root out misconduct (Image: Jason Bye)

“Officers who wear the uniform should be expected to operate to the highest possible standards, on this occasion we did not respond to this incident as we should have done,” he said.

“Everyday this constabulary deals with hundreds of calls and interactions and in the overwhelming number of occasions we provide an exceptional service and one that I’m proud of.

“However as in this case here and has unfortunately been the case on other occasions there are times where our standards fall below what I’d expect. When that does occur there will be consequences for the officers or staff concerned.”

Former Norfolk police officers Neal Porter and George Ince were formerly dismissed after misconduct hearings (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

It comes at a time when surveys have shown public confidence in the police falling, having been shaken by several high-profile scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens and the conviction of another Met officer David Carrick for sex offences.

The number of Norfolk police officers facing misconduct investigations rose by almost 50pc last year.

Norfolk officer PC Daniel Comfort - who shared “grossly offensive” Whatsapp messages, including an antisemitic joke about Auschwitz, in a group that also included Couzens - would have been sacked had he not already resigned.

A second Norfolk officer was also formally dismissed after a misconduct panel found he had behaved inappropriately towards colleagues.

Neal Porter, a former police response officer based at Wymondham, George Ince, a Great Yarmouth-based officer, were both sacked over indecent images. 

Earlier this year it was revealed that 10 investigations were being undertaken into alleged cases of sexual abuse and three incidents of domestic violence involving Norfolk police officers and staff.

Norfolk chief constable Paul Sanford said he expects more officers to be sacked over misconduct in the coming months (Image: PA)

That comes on top of five officers having been sacked and 12 have been given warnings in the previous three years.

Norfolk police said it takes allegations of misconduct “extremely seriously and has robust measures in place to identify and investigate”.

Mr Sanford said he expected more misconduct cases in the coming months as he remains determined to root out and sack officers. 

“The most recent cases of individuals who have left this force have all done so as a result of our investigations into them,” he said.

“I’m sure that there will be others that follow, but they don’t represent the majority.”

He added: “What we have seen in recent months is an increase in the number of misconduct investigations that this constabulary is undertaking and most of that is driven by internal reports.

“I believe that is because my organisation is listening to what me and my fellow senior officers are saying to them, which is that we will not tolerate this and that the organisation itself has a duty to improve standards.”