Police car’s lights ‘hidden by tights’ before lorry crash
AN UNMARKED police car’s lights had been covered in nylon tights to prevent it being identified as a police car before it crashed into a lorry and left an officer badly injured.
They were being used to cover the lights to help prevent members of the public identifying it as a police car when the lights were not in use.
National guidance has now been changed after the findings of an investigation into the crash on the A55 near Llanfairfechan, Conwy, in January 2016.
A North Wales Police officer, who was driving the police BMW, was seriously injured as his car collided with an HGV in a lay-by. He had attempted to avoid a light goods vehicle which had moved into his lane on a dual carriageway.
The investigation, by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), found that there was a significant reduction in the light output with the nylon covers according to both the collision investigator and through tests carried out by a technical expert.
It was also recorded that the nylon covers could not be ruled out as a contributory factor to the collision as they made it extremely difficult for the driver of the lorry to identify the vehicle behind them as a police car responding to an incident.
The investigation found that a number of police forces use various methods to cover lights, including using tights.
It stated: “Modifications are being made without any form of scientific testing to examine the effect of any coverings on the level of brightness when the emergency lights are turned on.”
IOPC director for Wales Catrin Evans said: “When police forces attempt to make unmarked police cars less visible, they need to adopt a standardised approach.
“Any modifications made ought to be tested and approved by experts rather than using ad hoc solutions that may not be the safest method. For the safety of police drivers and the public alike, testing would also help make sure that any coverings do not significantly limit the visibility of the emergency blue lights when turned on.
“I’m pleased to see the NPCC [National Police Chiefs’ Council] has recognised the need to develop this national guidance and has commissioned a working group to produce the new policy.”