Police officers are being investigated for dangerous driving over Streatham terror attack

Probed for tackling terror: Police watchdog takes ‘astonishing’ decision to investigate officers for ‘dangerous driving and gross misconduct’ over car crash as they raced to confront Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman

• Police officers who bravely responded to Streatham attack being investigated
• One officer was involved in crash with two other vehicles while driving to scene
• The other officer was not involved in the crash, instead carrying on to the attack
• Police Federation said the two officers had been left ‘dumbstruck’ by the probe

By Alexander Robertson For Mailonline

Published: 10:27 GMT, 2 March 2020 | Updated: 12:24 GMT, 2 March 2020

The police watchdog has been slammed for investigating two officers over alleged dangerous driving and gross misconduct as they ‘bravely’ responded to the Streatham terror attack.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has announced it will probe their actions following a crash with two other vehicles that injured one officer and a member of the public.

But the Police Federation today described the move to investigate them as ‘a complete joke’, adding that the two officers had been left ‘dumbstruck’ by the probe.

Both officers were travelling in a fast-moving police convoy at the time as they rushed to confront extremist Sudesh Amman after he stabbed two bystanders in south London on February 2. 

Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said it was ‘astonishing’ that the careers of both officers, who have temporarily been placed on restricted duties, were now ‘on the line’.

He added: ‘The public will be appalled when they hear that brave police officers responding to a terrorist attack can be treated in such a manner.

One of the officers, who was driving an unmarked police car, was involved in a crash with two other vehicles while on his way to the attack, resulting in two injuries 

Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was killed after being shot in the neck and abdomen, an inquest heard last week

‘What kind of message does this send? These officers and their colleagues put their lives on the line that day to protect the public.

‘Now potentially their careers are on the line. It’s absurd. A complete joke.

‘Our colleagues did not know what danger they were travelling towards as the information emerged in real time about stabbings and threats of a suicide vest and explosives.

‘Yet without hesitation they drove towards that danger. Because that’s what police officers do.

‘And yet now their careers are at risk as the hindsight brigade decide to justify their existence.

These people need to understand the split-second and dynamic decisions police officers have to take.’

One of the officers, who was driving an unmarked police car, was involved in a crash with two other vehicles while on his way to the attack, resulting in two injuries.

The other officer was driving a marked armed response vehicle and was not involved in the crash, instead carrying on to the scene of the attack.

The two officers have been placed on restricted duties and are not allowed to drive police vehicles while the investigation is carried out, with some IOPC probes lasting up to a year.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating how counter-terrorism officers came to shoot the Amman, 20, after he stabbed two bystanders on Streatham High Road on February 2 

Immediately after the incident, Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to the ‘speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker’.

Streatham terrorist died of police gunshot wounds to his neck and abdomen

Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was fatally shot by police in the neck and abdomen, an inquest was told last week.

Amman, 20, was wearing a hoax suicide vest when he was shot dead by armed cops after he stabbed two people on Streatham High Road, south London on February 2.

Moments earlier he had stole a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade from a discount hardware store.

He was subsequently shot by surveillance officers, who were monitoring him, outside a Boots store, the inquest opening at Southwark Coroner’s Court heard.

A post-mortem conducted a day later found Amman died of shock, plus haemorrage caused by gun-shot wounds to the neck and abdomen. 

The officers approached Amman and saw what appeared to be a suicide belt strapped around him.

Specialist officers were called in to examine the vest and it was later confirmed to be a hoax device.

Amman had been released a week before after serving half of his sentence of a three years and four months jail term for terror offences.

Amman, 20, was wearing a hoax suicide vest when he was shot dead by armed cops after he stabbed two people in broad daylight on Streatham High Road.

Moments earlier he had stole a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade from a discount hardware store.

He was subsequently shot by surveillance officers, who were monitoring him, outside a Boots store. 

Mr Marsh added: ‘No-one is saying that police officers should not be scrutinised or that their actions should not be accountable – but the last thing officers responding to a terrorist attack should be worrying about is whether their prompt response and bravery will put their livelihoods in danger.

‘I am rarely astonished but this is truly astonishing.’

The investigation into the crash is separate to the inquiry into the fatal shooting by police of Amman.

A spokesman for watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: ‘We are conducting an independent investigation into a road traffic incident involving a Metropolitan Police car which collided with two vehicles while responding to the terror attack in Streatham on Sunday February 2. Two people received injuries.

‘On Friday February 28 we served notices of investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct on the officer driving the vehicle involved in the collision and on the driver of a marked police vehicle which was in close proximity to the unmarked vehicle but not involved in the collision.’

 A graphic shows how the terror attack unfolded on the streets of south London on February 2

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