Warning on police motorbike

Dr James Adeley plans to write to every chief constable in England and Wales warning them of the "catastrophic result" which can occur with the Honda motorbike.

Dr Adeley spoke at the conclusion of the inquest into police motorcyclist David Shreeve, who was thrown from his bike while on a training exercise.

The married father-of-two, who worked for Merseyside Police, was crushed to death under a lorry after he fell from his Honda Pan European ST1300.

Around 22 forces across the country use the bike, including Staffordshire Police. West Midlands Police do not use the bike.

The inquest in Lancaster heard Pc Shreeve lost control of his vehicle after it began to shake violently while travelling at high speed.

The phenomenon, known as high speed weave, refers to a sideways snaking motion which can cause the rider difficulty steering and makes the bike uncontrollable.

Dr Adeley told how after the death several bikes of that particular model underwent comprehensive safety checks.

In one of the tests an examiner broke his leg and fractured both wrists after being thrown from the Honda, which experienced an identical high speed weave.

Despite multiple safety checks there are still around 450 police Honda ST1300s being used by officers across the country.

Merseyside Police immediately withdrew all their models from service following the incident.

Pc Shreeve, aged 38, was travelling at around 110mph along the M58 motorway near Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on November 9, 2005 when the tragedy happened.

He was on an advanced police motorcycle course with an instructor and one other pupil, Pc Gil Smith, when he got into difficulties at around 2.05pm.

Preston and West Lancashire coroner Dr Adeley recorded a narrative verdict into the death absolving Mr Shreeve of any blame. Mr Shreeve, of Eastham, Wirral leaves a wife Jeanette and a four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.

Neil Spencer, spokesman for Staffordshire Police, said the force does have Honda Pan European ST1300s in its fleet of motorbikes.

But he could not confirm the number of vehicles or which departments use them.

He said: "We have had some restriction on their use which we put in place as there is a close relationship with Honda and the Association of Chief Police Officers. We continually review our equipment and this includes our fleet of motorbikes. We have no plans to withdraw them from use but will be monitoring their safety." He said the force also has a "stringent" policy relating to speed which has to be adhered too.