Sir Mark Rowley attacks ‘appalling’ prosecution of policeman who crashed on way to terror attack

Pc Fisher was ‘protecting public from terrorist’

In an extraordinary statement issued after the verdict, Sir Mark said: “If an officer makes honest mistakes under the most immense pressure while rushing to a live terrorist incident it cannot be right this is dealt with by a criminal trial nearly four years later. That’s why the treatment of this brave officer by the systems of accountability is appalling.

“No other country in the world would haul one of its most highly trained officers before a court for responding to one of the most serious incidents we can deal with and doing their utmost to preserve life.

“The driving errors made by Pc Fisher were made under the most intense pressure while trying to protect members of the public from a terrorist. The right answer would have been a rapid review of this incident, warnings, re-training and testing. Instead, there have been almost four years of stress.

“I routinely hear from officers who avoid pursuits or indeed even being trained because they know their split-second, pressured decisions will be unpicked over many years. This case further undermines the confidence of all officers using their powers to keep the public safe.

“The system has to change. The alternative is colleagues becoming more scared of an imbalanced and disproportionate system than they are of facing terrorists and criminals intent on attacking communities.

“Officers fully expect to be held accountable for their actions, but they need to know the system holding them to account will be swift, fair, competent, and recognise the split-second decisions made every single day. The current set-up clearly fails those tests.

“I am very grateful the Home Office and Attorney General are conducting a thorough review to find a more appropriate balance for accountability. We will continue to support their officials in any way possible through this process.”