A POLICE force has been ordered to take action after a Poole man died in a collision with a police car.

David Ormesher, 79, died shortly after he was struck by a patrol car in Brighton nearly four years ago.

A recent inquest concluded the police car’s speed was “unjustifiable” and now the coroner has produced a report to prevent future deaths.

Senior coroner for Brighton and Hove, Veronica Hamilton-Deeley has written to Sussex Police demanding changes.

She said the police car’s siren should have been deployed and the in-car radio should have been switched on at all times.

She also said the speed - 57mph - was excessive and a personal radio should not have been handed to the passenger in the vehicle.

Mr Ormesher was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered multiple injuries, including a serious head injury, and a cardiac arrest.

The retired tool-maker had been staying in Brighton to renovate a friend’s property in Portland Place.

The accident took place in the early hours of August 25, 2017.

Mr Ormesher had been out at a bar listening to live piano music by candelight and was on his way back to the house when the crash happened.

As he crossed the road he was struck by the police vehicle which was on its way to the beach where a woman had attempted to take her own life by going into the sea.

Driver PC Richard Harris said he applied the brakes as soon as he saw a movement in the right-hand lane and swerved into the left lane in an attempt to avoid him.

The court heard that evidence given by two police officers did not match the timing of events in a transcript of the police radio that night.

In their record of inquest, the jury said: “The driver did not have their personal hand-held radio. It had been loaned to the other officer in the vehicle and not returned.

“The in-car radio was not switched on, which was an option.

“Had this radio been heard by the driver, more accurate information would have informed a dynamic risk assessment.

“This is coupled with a reduced amount of sight at the ‘visually cluttered’ junction.

“We find that these two factors made the high speed unjustifiable.

“The speed of the vehicle allowed insufficient reaction time for either party to avoid the impact.”

The inquest heard that the car’s blue lights had been activated throughout the journey, but not the police car siren, partly due to the time of night.

The jury added: “Due to the complexity of the junction, the use of sirens could have affected the outcome.”

The inquest jury concluded Mr Ormesher died from multiple injuries in a road traffic collision and noted the presence of alcohol in his blood, which was classed as “moderate intoxication consistent with reduced alertness”.

Last year, PC Harris faced an inquiry over gross misconduct claims in relation to the incident.

He was cleared of gross misconduct relating to the speed he drove at, but three of the five misconduct claims against him were upheld, the IOPC said.

It means PC Harris was able to resume his career as an officer, but received a final written warning.

Sussex Police Chief Superintendent Nick May described the crash as a tragedy and said the force had made an effort to improve training and standards for police driving to emergency calls.

He said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Ormesher’s family and friends who have had to wait nearly four years for the inquest to be heard and I would reiterate our profound and deepest sympathies for this tragic incident.

“In this case, sadly, the specific circumstances resulted in a tragedy.”