Norfolk Chief Constable: Crash officer who suffered seizure has 'full support'

The collision occurred on the Barnby Bends in March 2022

A chief constable has said an officer who crashed when he suffered an epileptic seizure has his "full support".

PC Karl Warren was driving a Norfolk police BMW X5 patrol car on the A146 near Lowestoft, Suffolk, when he collided with an Audi in March 2022.

He was investigated for failing to stop and report a crash but on Tuesday he was cleared of misconduct.

Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: "He has my full support moving forward."

PC Warren, a firearms officer, had no recollection of the accident and provided medical evidence to a misconduct hearing showing he suffered from a condition that caused memory loss.

'Accountable'

Following the accident, PC Warren was placed on station duties and his driving permit was suspended.

Mr Sanford told BBC Radio Norfolk: "What happened two years ago should not have happened... that hearing conclusively heard that the officer suffered from an epileptic seizure before that collision.

"My police officers understand that they are accountable for everything that they do... but the way they are held to account needs to be done fairly and it needs to respect that these officers come to work every day to make their communities better. That's what Karl Warren did before this collision."

'Heavy price'

Since he has been in the role, Mr Sanford said he has dismissed 12 officers for poor conduct.

He said he would always act when there was an officer who did not "deserve to wear a police uniform", but added: "Karl Warren is not one of those officers."

After the hearing concluded, Norfolk Police Federation said PC Warren was "paying a heavy price" for his medical condition.

Chairman Andy Symonds said: "As we heard during the hearing, this officer has gone through hell. Much of it in public and for a number of months.

"Police officers are accountable for their actions - and we accept what we do comes under intense scrutiny - but there comes a point when scrutiny can frankly start to feel like an anti-police vendetta."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it reviewed Norfolk Constabulary's original investigation following an application made by the complainant, and said it decided his actions were serious enough to justify dismissal "if the allegations were found proven by a disciplinary panel".

IOPC head of national operations Sunny Bhalla said: "It is the role of the disciplinary panel to determine, based on the evidence heard, whether or not the allegations are proven.

"PC Warren has now been held accountable at a public hearing and we respect the panel's decision."