Andrew David Kitson · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 11th June 2020 I commenced an investigation into the death of Andrew David Kitson, aged 44. The investigation concluded at the end of the Inquest on Thursday 3rd March 2022. The jury returned a narrative conclusion including a finding that he was unlawfully killed on 9th June 2020 after he sustained multiple injuries when struck by a motorcar being driven at high speed as it sought to flee from the police.

Around 5:20pm on Tuesday 9th June 2020, Mr Kitson was walking on the pavement of the A61 Leeds Road in the directions of Wakefield.

A Peugeot motor car failed to stop when signalled to do so by police officers at approximately 5:17pm in respect of a mobile phone offence they had observed.

The police officer was authorised to pursue the Peugeot for a period of 2 minutes 42 seconds over a distance of some 2½ miles, during which time the Peugeot was driven dangerously and at high speed.

The Peugeot lost control, mounted the pavement and struck Mr Kitson, who sustained multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:50pm that day.

(1) The evidence taken at the inquest revealed insufficient statistical evidence was available to guide an evaluation of the proportion of spontaneous police pursuits which

(a) involve driving at high speeds through residential areas;
(b) result in the apprehension of an offender;
(c) result in personal injury to other road users or property damage;
(d) are aborted without the alleged offender being caught;

without such analytical feedback (ideally prepared on a national basis) the risks inherent in such pursuits, balanced against their effectiveness, cannot adequately be reviewed.

(2) The rules governing spontaneous police pursuits in residential areas place an onerous burden upon police standards review continuously the safety of proceeding whilst at the same time driving at high speed. The pursuit manager who authorises the continuance of a pursuit is dependant upon fragments of verbal messages relayed over the radio, due to the perceived need to leave airtime for other TPAC units to input information. The Inquest heard evidence to the effect that real time camera pictures from the police vehicle are not always available due to IT issues. This means the pursuit manager must largely trust the judgement of the police driver.

In order to lessen the burden upon the police driver in having to weigh numerous factors in a continuing, complex judgement, consideration should be given to a refinement of the parameters in which pursuits in residential areas are permitted. Such guidance to pursuit managers (informed by data regarding the effectiveness and risks arising in previous pursuits) would help to promote consistency and lessen the dependence upon a case-by-case judgement made in a pressured timescale.