'The traffic officer who saved my father's life encouraged my career in policing'

 

When Sgt Rich Hatch’s father was involved in a collision in the early 90s, it was the considerate and respectful nature of a traffic cop who took the time to understand why his father had crashed which led to Sgt Hatch’s desire to join roads policing.

“The officer saved my father’s life by taking the time to understand why he’d had a collision that he should not really have had,” he said. “By being thoughtful, treating my father with respect, and understanding that good people make mistakes, he identified that my father had a blind spot in his vision, which, when investigated further, turned out to be a brain tumour.”

It was this contact with a traffic officer which led Sgt Hatch to follow in his footsteps and he has now clocked up nearly 25 years experience in roads policing.

Currently the sergeant in charge of the Serious Collision Investigation Team, Sgt Hatch and his team of nine officers investigate the majority of fatal and life debilitating injury collisions which occur in Wiltshire.

One of the biggest frustrations of the team is often the hostility shown towards them at the scenes of road closures following such collisions.

Sgt Hatch explains why closures can often be in place for several hours.

“When a fatality is confirmed, we will deploy from Police Headquarters to scene and begin the investigation process,” he said. “The scene team is made up of the Roads Policing Lead Investigator who makes all of the investigative decisions and completes a formal log of these decisions. They will work alongside the officer in the case who completes the numerous pieces of paperwork that are required to record the collision and inform His Majesty’s Coroner of the death.

“Once SCIT have secured the scene and ensured that the golden hour enquires are complete the RPLI will call upon the services of the Forensic Collision Investigation Unit (FCIU) who will deploy to the scene and collect and record the physical data that is required to back up other evidence collated by SCIT. The FCIU are highly skilled in obtaining small pieces of evidence from the scene and they will create high definition laser scans and 3D drone images that can be present in court.

“Scenes by their volatile nature can take many hours to complete, but working together, we try to reduce the impact these events have on our communities and the wider infrastructure,” he said.

During his many years policing our roads, Sgt Hatch said the team can often be disappointed in the lack of respect shown by drivers towards their fellow road users.

He said: “Whilst we appreciate that there are enormous pressures placed on people in the UK, and the roads are very congested, it seems that a lot of drivers have forgotten to be nice. Let people out of junctions safely, or give room to pedal cyclists and motorbikes, wait for that pedestrian to cross, even if the light is green for you, these people are entitled to be on the roads and are amongst the most vulnerable of road users we have.

“Many drivers seem to treat these users as an inconvenience rather than a hazard. We must all remember that one small mistake can lead very quickly to the death of another and this is life changing for both parties involved."

Over 3,000 people a year die on our roads nationally.  In 2023 alone, 255 people were killed or seriously injured in collisions in Wiltshire.

Sgt Hatch urged drivers to think carefully about their driving standards. “Being convicted of death by dangerous driving can now carry a life imprisonment,  which is the same as the sentence for murder," he said.

“I’d ask all drivers, no matter how experienced they are, to plan their journeys, check their vehicles properly for defects and be courteous to others. We all have to use the roads and being five minutes late for work is far better than being early to your end.”

• We are currently running our 'No Excuse' road safety campaign. For more information, visit 'No Excuse' road safety campaign launches today | Wiltshire Police