A POLICE officer did not turn on her blue emergency lights until the final moments of a pursuit that saw a teenager die after crashing his vehicle, an inquest has heard.

Beau Duffield, from Benfleet, died in the early hours of November 13, 2021, after crashing a white Citroen Berlingo van into a garden wall in Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford.

Officers involved in the pursuit gave statements at an inquest hearing in Chelmsford County Hall on Thursday, May 11.

The pursuit lasted just one minute and 21 seconds across 1.4miles and the officer told the inquest she did not activate the vehicle’s blue lights or give indication for the van to stop, due to how far away she was.

Sonia Hayes, area coroner for Essex, said in her conclusion that the teenager “probably knew” there was a police car following him at the time of the crash.

Emma Wells, Acting Inspector for the Basildon local policing team, said: “At the time I was a shift sergeant and briefed my team to focus on inspecting work vans following a spate of tools being stolen from said vehicles.

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“When I saw the subject’s white van I made a conscious decision to stop it and inspect its contents and occupants.

“PC Craig Cassidy was the passenger and I was driving a marked reflective vehicle so I believe it was quite clear we were police and there were no other vehicles around us.”

PC Cassidy and Inspector Wells were driving on London Road towards Pitsea McDonalds when they spotted Mr Duffield’s van driving the other way.

Inspector Wells performed a three-point-turn to pursue the van and at the final point of the turn noticed an ‘upturn in road dirt’ and ‘puff of smoke’ coming from the van’s exhaust suggesting it had accelerated.

READ MORE >> Investigation into Benfleet teen death during police pursuit

She added: “I made a call into the Force Control Room (FCR) at some point on London Road but did not turn on my emergency lights for several reasons.

“The subject’s acceleration meant that they would have been too far away to notice my indications. I was driving at a speed that meant it would be unsafe to turn on the lights as it would mean taking my attention off the road.”

Inspector Wells is a trained Initial Phase Pursuit (IPP) which means she can pursue subjects.

However, the speed of this pursuit, which lasted one minute and 21 seconds across 1.4 miles meant FCR could not accept or deny the authorisation request in time.

Mr Duffield eventually turned into Pound Lane where he lost control of the van attempting to avoid a chicane and crashed into a wall.

Inspector Wells turned on her lights approaching Pound Lane when it was safe and arrived at the crash scene, aiding three young passengers whilst emergency services treated Mr Duffield.

The inquest heard Mr Duffield died from his injuries at the scene.

The post mortem also stated Beau was one and a half times over the legal drink-drive limit and there was evidence of cannabis use.

The coroner recorded a conclusion that Beau died as a result of a road traffic collision.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "While on patrol in the early hours of Sunday 13 November 2021, officers attempted to stop a white Citroen Berlingo van in Basildon

"It failed to stop and a short time later the vehicle collided with a wall in Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford.

"A 17-year-old boy very sadly died at the scene. Three further people were taken to hospital. 

"Officers provided emergency medical assistance at the scene. 

"As is standard practice, we made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which carried out an investigation.

"That investigation found that our officers’ actions did not contribute to the death of the motorist, as the police driver kept a considerable distance from the subject vehicle and did not put any pressure on the driver.

"The IOPC did find learnings for the force, which have been adopted and a Standard Operating Procedure is currently being drafted which will set out a requirement for all transferees to be directed to review all relevant policies and procedures for their roles. 

"Local line managers will be supported in ensuring officers are signposted to those policies and procedures which might be different to the force they transferred from. The Standard Operating Procedure will be shared with the IOPC once the final draft has been approved, which Essex Police aim to have completed by 31 May 2023."