FOI 26/27 – 024: A66 fatal collision: PCC briefings, scrutiny records, resource issues and correspondence

Freedom of information request

Please provide the following, subject to lawful redaction:

1. Any briefing, correspondence or scrutiny record held by the OPCC referring to earlier wrong-way driving or police-pursuit incidents on the A66 that were considered relevant to organisational learning before or after the 22 August 2026 collision, including the earlier case involving Aaron Saddington where held.
2. The dates and times of all formal or informal briefings provided to the PCC or OPCC senior staff by the Chief Constable, Cleveland Police or another public authority concerning the A66 collision and the events preceding it.
3. Copies of briefing notes, written updates, reports or slide packs supplied to the PCC/OPCC concerning the collision, police pursuit, subsequent criminal investigation or related serious and organised crime, with operationally sensitive or personal information redacted where necessary.
4. Copies of correspondence between the PCC/OPCC and the Chief Constable or Cleveland Police senior leadership concerning the incident, including questions raised by the PCC and responses received.
5. Any minutes, notes or action logs from meetings in which the A66 collision, the pursuit, wrong-way driving, police resourcing, mutual aid or operational capacity arising from the incident were discussed.
6. Any recorded scrutiny action, assurance request, review request or follow-up action initiated by the PCC/OPCC in response to the incident.
7. Any recorded information supplied to the PCC/OPCC concerning whether staffing, roads policing, armed-response capacity, control-room capacity or other resource pressures affected the policing of the events preceding the collision or the subsequent response.
8. Any recorded information held by the OPCC concerning requests for or deployment of mutual-aid resources in connection with the wider investigation, including broad numbers, requesting forces and funding arrangements were held and lawfully disclosable.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner response

1. Following a search of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s diary, one relevant briefing was identified.
   
   Please note that, due to the fast-paced nature of the circumstances at the time, the majority of briefings and updates were provided verbally, either by telephone or in person, and therefore were not formally recorded within his diary.
   
   A copy of the relevant diary entry/meeting request has been attached. Personal information relating to third parties has been redacted in accordance with Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
2. No information held by the OPCC.
3. No information held by the OPCC.
4. No information held by the OPCC.
5. No information held by the OPCC.
6. No information held by the OPCC.
7. No information held by the OPCC.
8. No information held by the OPCC.

Some of the information you seek may be held by Cleveland Police, I have linked their website below on how to submit a Freedom of Information Request.

Request information about the police | Cleveland Police

FOI 26/27 – 024: A66 fatal collision: PCC briefings, scrutiny records, resource issues and correspondence (application, 452kB)