In a misconduct meeting, PC Ryan Hargrave admitted that he did not do enough to challenge his colleague, PC Karl Warren, to pull over after their police vehicle hit the back of a woman’s car. The incident occurred on the A146 between Beccles and Lowestoft in March 2022. PC Hargrave also accepted that he failed to report the crash until the following day, which prevented proper accident procedures from being followed. Superintendent Louis Provart, who chaired the meeting, stated that PC Hargrave’s actions constituted a serious breach of duty.
The scandal surrounding the hit and run incident, dubbed ‘Amnesiagate,’ saw Norfolk Constabulary criticized by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for dropping misconduct charges against PC Warren. The IOPC argued that too much emphasis had been placed on contradictory medical evidence claiming that PC Warren was suffering from amnesia. Norfolk police has since accepted the IOPC’s finding and PC Warren will face a separate misconduct hearing that could result in his dismissal from the force.
At the misconduct meeting, PC Hargrave acknowledged that he should have been more assertive in challenging PC Warren’s failure to stop and check on the victim. His representative argued that the proximity to the end of their work shift limited the time available to raise the issue. However, PC Hargrave reported the collision to their supervisor the following morning. Superintendent Provart considered PC Hargrave’s previous good record and character references but ultimately concluded that his actions were a serious breach of duty. As a result, PC Hargrave received a written warning.
The woman involved in the crash attended the disciplinary meeting and expressed a sense of justice finally being done. She accused PC Hargrave of being a coward for not reporting the incident and criticized Norfolk police for mishandling the case. Despite welcoming the punishment handed out to PC Hargrave, she hoped that he had learned his lesson and recognized the importance of his role as a police officer in protecting the public. Norfolk chief constable Paul Sanford has publicly apologized for his force’s handling of the hit-and-run case.
