A POLICEMAN based in Eccles is to face charges of dangerous driving after a grandad biker died following a 50-minute chase.
Father-of-five Alan Long was pursued on and off the M60 through Tameside during a chase involving several squad cars and the force plane.
He crashed his powerful 1000cc Yamaha R1 machine into a car in Stalybridge.
Eight Greater Manchester Police officers have been suspended from driving duties since the incident in August last year.
Now one has been summonsed to face two charges of dangerous driving following an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation.
Police Constable Ian Bruce, 33, who was based in the Tactical Vehicle Crimes Unit in Eccles at the time of the incident, will appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on August 21.
Mr Long had failed to stop after officers had tried to check his documents.
His motorcycle was in collision with a VW Polo at the junction of Stamford Road and Rassbottom Street.
He suffered multiple injuries and died about eight hours later.
The 54-year-old was the 25th person killed in six years in incidents involving GMP vehicles.
Described by his family as a ‘passionate biker', Mr Long, from Denton - who also had 13 grandchildren - had been to Asda on August 1 last year when police tried to stop him in Whittles Drive near his home.
Mr Long’s family insisted his machine was taxed, insured, and had a valid MoT.
Hundreds turned up at his funeral in Tameside.
In 2007 the IPCC published a study on police accidents and chairman Nick Hardwick said they believed bike pursuits ‘can be particularly dangerous as the rider is much more vulnerable’ than a car driver.
He added: "We recommend these pursuits should be limited to instances where serious crime has been committed."
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Lets blame the police again. I see from the tragic death of Mr Long that the blame is being shifted over towards the police and not the offender. It was Mr Longs actions that appear to have brought about his own tragic death when he decided he was not going to stop on request of a police officer and it was he who decided to carry on with it for a full 50 minutes. His family state that that everything was in order with his bike, tax and insurance, so why then did he do what he did ? I for one as a tax payer and law abiding citizen want the police to chase and catch offenders and bring them to justice, i dont want to live in a country where the criminals think that its ok to commit any crime because as long as you jump on a fast bike the police wont come after you. The only persons to blame in tragic circumstances like this are the ones that run from the police, im just happy that no innocent people were killed by Mr Longs actions on that day.
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to see this one is still dragging on. What does seem to be of interest is the amount of police resource that is dedicated to high-speed pursuits, such as this - both during the actual incident, and then in the inevitable investigation which follows. Sadly, it seems Mr Long was the author of his own fate.
Must agree with itstrue. If you don't stop for the cops then accept the consequences. Alan Long may have had all his documents and his bike may have been mot'd, but how were the police to know that the bike wasn't stolen or the rider wasn't carrying a firearm or a few kilo's of heroin. It should be an automatic 2 year prison sentence for failing to stop and produce your documents for a police officer. Alan Long may have been a pillar of the community, but on the day in question for some reason he decided to lead the police on a merry dance ending in his own death.
Never mind his documents, what about 'failing to stop' and 'dangerous driving', He took his chances and that leaves one less idiot rider to cut me up tomorrow!! His death is sad, but i'd rather it be his death than my son's crossing the road in-front of some moron that thought "i an out-run them, i dont have to stop". As for the officer facing charges, pathetic, what is wrong with this country, think ill turn to crime, you only seem to get away with it, and if you dont, you can just sue the police that 'STOPPED' you!!!