A new unit that will investigate fatal collisions on Oxfordshire’s roads has been launched by Thames Valley Police.
The Road Death Investigation Unit is based at Bicester, Aylesbury and Three Mile Cross police bases, and is made up of an inspector, six sergeants and 18 police constables. Officers with the unit will attend fatal road collisions and take responsibility for carrying out subsequent investigations, including taking witness statements, examining CCTV and collecting forensic evidence.
In the Thames Valley area, there have been 69 fatalities on the roads in 2010 up to the start of September. Sergeant Pete Jell, of the unit, who is based at Bicester police station, said: “Our main aim is to carry out thorough and timely investigations into the causes of fatal road traffic collisions across the Thames Valley area.
“Previously, investigations would have been carried out within local road policing units. This unit will now build on this previous good work, and enable traffic officers to concentrate on the day-to-day demands of policing the roads, while we take over the investigative aspect. The public, the media, the courts and the Crown Prosecution Service rightly have the view that people who cause serious accidents through dangerous or reckless driving, poor decision making, or through driving with drugs or alcohol in their system, need to be brought to justice, and as a unit, we aim to do this.”
