A NATIONAL study of deaths and injuries arising from police car pursuits has focused on a teenager who died after a chase started in Bury.

The Police Complaints Authority has voiced concern over the increasing level of fatalities and serious injuries in accidents involving police vehicles.

Its report, Following Fatal Pursuits, has highlighted the different ways that forces handle car chases.

The study focused on 86 cases supervised by the authority, including the death of 14-year-old Craig Whelan who crashed a car during a police chase which started in Bury.

The Salford teenager was killed when the Reliant Rialto he was driving hit a sign on the slip road of the M60 at junction 15. He was originally spotted driving down Rochdale Road, Bury, by police who suspected he was not wearing a seat belt.

Last year, there were six accidents during police pursuits in Greater Manchester which resulted in seven deaths. The previous year, four people died in four separate accidents involving chases.

The authority recommends new guidance for chases involving motorbikes, more training for senior officers responsible for investigations into accidents involving the police, and clearer guidelines for police drivers involved in pursuits where motorists fail to stop.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has also launched its guidelines on police vehicle chases including a national policy on how to deal with police chases and more training for police drivers and commanding officers.

There were a total of 1,038 collisions including minor bumps involving police vehicles last year, a reduction on the year before where there were 10,050 accidents.