A POLICE officer who died in a car crash while responding to an emergency call in North Yorkshire has been named as 32-year-old Andrew Bramma.

The officer's patrol car struck a tree in the village of West Tanfield, near Ripon, at around 7pm on Saturday.

He was the only occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had moved to the North Yorkshire force four months ago after transferring from Great Manchester Police. He was a married father-of-two.

At a press conference today, Temporary Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said he could not have asked for anything more from Pc Bramma as a young officer.

"I just sense he was someone who wanted to be here and wanted to be part of our team," he said.

"He extolled the virtues of what we are looking for in North Yorkshire Police, he cared about the community, he wanted to do his job and protect people and he did it for the very best reasons.

"He was a man of integrity and he was popular with his colleagues and as Chief Constable I cannot ask for more of a young officer."

He went on to say that at this point the police didn't believe anyone else had been involved in the accident and that a full and comprehensive investigation would take place.

 

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, said: “The death of a North Yorkshire Police officer while responding to an emergency call is tragic news. My thoughts are with his family and colleagues at this difficult time.”

A full investigation will be carried out to determine the exact circumstances which led to the collision. The road was closed for several hours on Saturday night to allow collision investigators to examine the scene. The Health and Safety Executive have also been informed.

Anyone who was in the area at the time and saw the vehicle or witnessed the collision is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101.