Police car had sight of van used in Nottingham attacks before it hit pedestrians in city centre

A marked police car had sight of a van for "less than a minute" before it hit pedestrians during the Nottingham attacks.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the driver of the single-crewed vehicle immediately stopped to give first aid after two people were struck in South Sherwood Street on Tuesday morning.

Valdo Calocane, 31, has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder after an alleged knife and van rampage in the city.

The incident happened in the Sherwood Street area, shortly before there was an arrest in Bentinck Road.

An IOPC spokesman said the watchdog will be contacting the two pedestrians hurt in the van collision to tell them of their decision to investigate the incident.

The police car was on its way to a related incident when the driver came across the van – with dashcam footage suggesting the officer had sight of it for less than a minute.

In a statement, the IOPC spokesman said: "We have now assessed a referral from Nottinghamshire Police, received on Wednesday, that informed us that a marked police car had been following behind the suspect’s van for a short distance at the time it collided with two pedestrians in Nottingham on Tuesday morning causing injuries.

"Police forces are required to refer to the IOPC incidents where police involvement may have contributed to people sustaining significant injuries.

"We have viewed dashcam footage from the police car and can confirm the officer, in a single-crewed vehicle en route to a linked incident, had sight of the van for less than a minute before the collision in the South Sherwood Street area.

"The officer immediately stopped to provide first aid.

"We will be contacting the two people injured in the collision to wish them a speedy recovery and advise them that we have decided to investigate this specific police interaction.

"Our investigation will consider whether the actions of the van driver were influenced by the police car’s presence shortly before he collided with the two pedestrians.

"Our thoughts remain with all those affected by Tuesday’s tragic events."