I was recently asked to provide a comment for a report by the Manchester Evening News examining the unusually high number of people who have died as a result of police chases involving Greater Manchester Police.

Over the last 12 months our team has experienced an influx in inquests arising from deaths following police pursuits in the Greater Manchester area.

These inquests involve the sudden and unexpected deaths of young males who have tragically died after failing to stop for police.

The inquests into these deaths are yet to take place but will examine the role Greater Manchester Police officers had in these pursuits and the force’s risk assessments, training, policies, and procedures. We await the conclusion of these inquests to see whether a pattern emerges in the way these deaths have occurred.

The role of our team here at Farleys is to offer legal advice and support to these families from the outset. These tragic deaths often involve long and complex inquests which can run over several years.

At the outset, the death will be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (“IOPC”) and an investigation will then follow either by the IOPC or at a local level by the force’s professional standards department.

Our team will advise the family at every stage to ensure that this investigation and the inquest that follows is thorough and support them through this difficult and understandably traumatic process.

The Police will always be represented by an experienced legal team and it is therefore important that families seek legal advice as soon as possible to ensure that their interests are properly and fairly represented throughout this process.

Often a huge worry families have is “how am I going to fund having anyone there to represent me.” Legal aid is potentially available to cover the costs of representation and we would therefore stress that families should not be dissuaded from getting in touch through fear of nothing being able to fund legal representation.

To discuss having legal representation at an inquest, please contact Farleys Solicitors on 0845 287 0939, send your enquiry by email, or contact us through our online chat below.