Police award’s a PR own goal

Mar 28 2010 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

FEW news stories these days take me aback so much that I say an audible “What?”

But the revelation that Northumbria Police have won a public relations award for their handling of the death of Hayley Adamson falls into that category.

Hayley was the young girl who was mown down and killed by a police car in Newcastle.

Driver John Dougal was quite rightly jailed for driving at 96 miles per hour moments before the impact. His flashing lights and sirens were switched off.

It beggars belief that Northumbria Police would allow themselves to be put forward for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRide Award for answering questions from the Press about the tragedy.

Nor should they have accepted the accolade when the wounds are still fresh.

I’m not having a go at the men and women who worked on the case.

There is no doubt that they were professional and honest in their handling of the case.

They may even be among the best their profession has to offer.

But none of that matters, not for one second, when police procedures themselves were in the dock as much as Dougal was.

Hayley’s family are still trying to come to terms with the youngster’s death at 16. They are campaigning for new laws which make it compulsory for emergency vehicles to use their flashing lights and sirens when breaking the speed limit.

Cops have apparently told Hayley’s mother they did not mean to cause any offense over the award.

Too little, too late. It should never have got to that stage in the first place. Northumbria Police should hand the trophy back.