Revealed: Police face accusations over dog walker death

Dog walker Julian Waskiewicz died in hospital six days after being struck by a silver Volvo in Burnhill Green Road, Albrighton.

The driver of the car involved, a 63-year-old man from Shifnal, was tested immediately after the accident and found to be 3mg of alcohol above the drink-drive limit.

But a later test taken at Malinsgate Police Station in Telford measured 35mg, just within the legal limit, and he was released from custody because a 'back calculation' test was not carried out, an investigation has now revealed.

Also, the custody officer was not aware that the driver had been involved in a serious accident, the investigation found.

The driver has not been prosecuted for any offence following the incident.

Mr Waskiewicz, aged 56, had been walking his two dachshunds when he was struck by the car on November 10, 2014.

He was taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and later died. It was just six weeks after his wife Jill had died after a two-year cancer battle.

The accident happened on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border and both West Mercia and Staffordshire officers arrived at the scene.

A statement by the family today said: "We have received no apology whatsoever for the toll this has taken on the family.

"The review reveals a complete absence of responsibility, accountability and a failure to follow process in the initial stages of the investigation, making any criminal prosecution impossible."

The report, which came after a complaint by Mr Waskiewicz's family, described a series of blunders that hampered the investigation and prevented justice being done.

The document, which also revealed West Mercia officers did not do the back calculation test despite a request from Staffordshire Police, recommends that all police officers are given extra training on how to carry out drink drive tests.

The family statement continued: "A decision was taken by Staffordshire Police to withhold this information from the family.

"Had we known this at the time, we would have saved ourselves a lot of heartache, frustration and anguish. We now understand why there was such a reluctance by the police to pursue any other line of inquiry than the ability of Julian to be seen."

It added: "There is no doubt that this additional burden has prolonged the agony, forcing us to re-live the events over and over again has prevented us from starting the healing process. Lessons must be learned."

The report, by Inspector Adrian Davis states: "What is probably accepted by all as the main 'missed investigative opportunity' and subsequent consequence concerning one area of police drink drive procedure, commonly known as 'back calculation'.

"It will highlight how this was not simply the error of one single police officer, but a collective lack of knowledge, missed and or ineffective communication by many.

"It will also identify a clear need for police officers to be fully aware of the infrequently used back calculation procedure and the investigatory benefit this brings, together with the consequences of failing to apply it."

In May last year, at an inquest, coroner Mr Andrew Haigh said he intended to write to West Mercia Police to demand why the earlier reading was not taken into consideration.

The inquest was told that Mr Waskiewicz was very safety conscious and had been a driving instructor for years.

It heard that he had lost his wife Jill in the October but was looking forward and was planning a skiing trip.

In the wake of the report, Staffordshire Police has pledged to fully investigate the issues raised by the family and the inquiry report.

And it said it was planning to meet the family in person to deal with issues that have been raised about procedures and lack of communication with loved-ones. Spokesman George Bailey said a meeting had now been scheduled for officers from the Staffordshire force to meet with members of the family.

The meeting will allow officers to explain how the investigation into Mr Waskiewicz's death had developed.

DCI Dave Goosen of the Professional Standards Department said: "This was a tragic event and our thoughts remain with the family. West Mercia Police accepts the recommendations of the review and has taken steps to ensure that procedures involved in back calculations are followed by officers who are managing these cases."