Investigation into police response to missing persons reports following the tragic Cardiff crash is almost complete.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is handling it. They say the March 2023 incident investigation was tough and required lots of resources.
Rafel Jeanne, 24, drove the car and passengers Darcy Ross and Eve Smith, both 21, died. The crash happened in St Mellons on March 4. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, survived, but were injured. The Volkswagen Tiguan left the road at 2:03 AM and hit trees near a roundabout.
They found the five people on March 6, 46 hours after the crash. The IOPC started its investigation, looking into the police response to missing reports.
The IOPC interviewed eight Gwent police officers. Each officer got a misconduct notice, with some receiving gross misconduct notices too. The interviews were quite lengthy.
The IOPC reviewed police policies and studied College of Policing guidance. This concerned missing people and risk assessments. They recorded over 400 documents. Investigators gathered nearly 100 statements, listened to police radio, and reviewed calls and body-worn video, analyzing a large volume of this data.
The office is compiling a final report, which will help with decisions. All the evidence has been carefully assessed.
They are finishing the investigation fast and want it to be comprehensive. Their thoughts go out to the families and friends who mourn the young people who died, and remember those injured.