Former Sussex Police officer calls for better protection

Louie Wellfare, 28, was on a call-out in a marked Sussex Police car when it crashed into a man walking in Bear Road, Brighton, on July 17, 2019.

The man, named by his family as Andy Gunn, sustained serious leg injuries and was taken to hospital.

Mr Wellfare, who is now a college lecturer, appeared at Brighton Crown Court last week where he denied the charge.

• READ MORE: Former PC charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving found not guilty

The jury returned a not guilty verdict under the direction of the judge.

The case comes amid calls for police officers who receive specialist driving training to be judged differently while on duty.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill puts forward an amendment which will “compare a police driver to a peer with a similar level of training” rather than a member of the public.

Louie Wellfare served in Sussex Police from 2015 until 2021

Speaking to The Argus, Mr Wellfare, from Pevensey, said: “For me, I want to make clear that the only person who has suffered through this is the chap, Andy Gunn, who got the leg injury. It was a horrific, awful, horrible accident and he has done nothing to deserve that.

“But I think this case is a really strong example of why we need this protection Bill and why we need it sooner rather than later.

“Otherwise, every police officer on every blue lights drive is leaving themselves open to prosecution for dangerous driving.

"How can that be right when you're responding under different circumstances?"

He was found not guilty for causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the crash which happened in July 2019

The Police Federation hopes the PCSC Bill will be passed by September. It is in its final stage, which is Royal Assent, having been through the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Tim Rogers, Police Federation driver training lead, has been campaigning since 2015 for the change to legislation which currently treats police officers under the same lens as anyone driving.

He said: “Officers get trained to do their job, they get a series of intense training courses that enables them to use their vehicle in a way that ordinary members of the public aren’t expected to.

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“The perverse aspect of that is that when they do use that training, every time they do that it leaves them vulnerable to prosecution because they are judged by the standard of a normal member of the public.

“When it does sadly go wrong and there is an injury or death, that officer will be liable to a charge of dangerous driving for which there is no exemption and that has been happening for years.

“Officers should have the confidence if they go out and perform as they have been trained, there should be no adverse outcome for them.

Police cordon in Bear Road, Brighton after the accident in 2019

“The same for if they drive outside of that training and fail to reach the standards that would be expected, they commit the offence and fail to reach the standard of competent police drivers. So there is that protection for the public.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Police drivers play a vital role in the fight against crime, apprehending suspects and saving lives, often driving in high-pressured situations.

“Because of this unique role, we are changing the law so that police officers involved in road accidents have their driving skills assessed against that of a competent police constable with the same training, rather than a standard driver.

“Ultimately, public safety is our number one priority and if a police officer is judged to have driven inappropriately, then they must be held accountable like anyone else.”