Police Chief apologises for Hayley Adamson tragedy

Apr 9 2009 by Sophie Doughty, The Journal

A SENIOR police officer has said sorry to Hayley Adamson’s family for her tragic and untimely death.

The Acting Assistant Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Jim Campbell, last night expressed his sincerest apologies on behalf of the force, after PC John Dougal was convicted of causing the schoolgirl’s death by dangerous driving.

He told The Journal that Hayley’s tragic death had touched the hearts of every police officer in the force.

"What we have got here is the untimely death of a young woman in tragic circumstances and that occurred because of the actions of a Northumbria Police officer and, on behalf of Northumbria Police, I would like to express my sincere apologies to her family of Hayley Adamson and friends," he said.

"This has been difficult for everybody because it is the loss of a young life.

"It affects other police officers. When I heard about it, it made me sad. Police officers ares still human beings."

Mr Campbell stressed that PC Dougal was not following the training or rules of the force in any way when he killed Hayley.

"PC Dougal did not drive in line with his training or in line with our guidance and procedure," he said. "The policy is that if you are going to engage in any sort of driving where you are going to break the speed limit, you will put on your blue lights and sirens.

"He did not set out intentionally to kill Hayley Adamson. However, he did have a severe error in judgment. "