Police officer, 24, dies after being struck by car while responding to road crash

PC Faizaan Najeeb, 24, has died a week after he was struck by a car while on duty and responding to a road crash in Raunds, Northamptonshire.

The incident unfolded around 12:35 p.m. on September 19, when Najeeb attended a single-vehicle collision in Raunds. He was not in a vehicle at the time and was hit by a blue VW Polo shortly after arriving at the scene. He sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, about 40 miles away, where he died on Friday.

A man in his 20s who was arrested at the scene has been bailed pending further investigation. Najeeb had served with Northamptonshire Police for just over three years, having joined in May 2022 to serve with the force’s response team in Wellingborough. In keeping with tradition for officers who die in the line of duty, his collar number, P1967, will be retired.

A two-minute silence will be held in tribute to Najeeb at Northamptonshire Police’s headquarters at Wootton Hall in Northampton, where the flag was flown at half-mast on Friday. Officials expressed their condolences and underscored the risks officers face in the line of duty. Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said: "Words cannot describe the sadness felt when an officer loses his life serving in the line of duty. The entire Northamptonshire Police family wish to pass on our deepest condolences to his family and friends at this truly awful point in time."

Colleagues from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are continuing to investigate the crash, while specialist family liaison officers support Najeeb’s family in the days and weeks ahead. An internal health and safety investigation is also underway.

Northamptonshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Danielle Stone, likewise expressed sorrow: "I am so saddened to hear that one of our police officers, Faizaan Najeeb, has died after responding to an incident in the line of duty. Faizaan's death is a terrible reminder of the risks police officers face every day as they work to keep us all safe. I am sending my deepest condolences to Faizaan's family at this dreadful and difficult time. And I am thinking of Faizaan's friends and Northamptonshire Police colleagues who are so hurt by his passing. His loss will have such an impact on the force and my thoughts are with all of those who knew him."