Police response found to be proportionate

Published 12 February 2020

Police Scotland has welcomed an independent report that confirms officers responded “properly and proportionately” to an incident on Aberdeen’s old Deeside Railway Line last year.

Officers from North East Division and Road Policing attended the disused track on June 26, 2019, after a motorcyclist and his pillion passenger drove along the cycle path following a police pursuit. When confronted by four officers standing across the track, the man swerved, avoiding the officers but losing control of the motorcycle and colliding with a tree.

The circumstances of the incident were reported to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) which ruled that the motorcyclist’s “recklessness and loss of control” were considered a major contributory factor to the collision. The investigation also found that both men had removed their crash helmets shortly before the incident, presumably to deter officers from attempting to stop them.

As is standard procedure, the PIRC independently investigates incidents involving the police.

North East Division Road Policing Inspector Neil Morrison, who led the police enquiry at the time, said: “Police Scotland’s number one priority is to protect the public and keep people safe. The proportionate response that has been acknowledged by PIRC investigators ensured that the neither the wider public nor the officers in attendance were put at further risk.

"I welcome the findings and would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the professional response from everyone involved.”