TENSIONS were running high in a North-East community yesterday after a teenage girl was killed by a police patrol car.

Officers with riot training were put on standby in the West End of Newcastle in case violence flared after the death of 16-year-old Hayley Adamson.

The teenager died after being hit by a police car in Denton Road at 11.20pm on Monday night.

Bricks were thrown at officers who attended the scene and several people were arrested. Police used a Taser stun gun to subdue a man.

Last night, as an independent inquiry into the conduct of Northumbria Police began, Chief Superintendent Paul Weir urged people to remain calm.

He said: "Emotions are running high in the area and that is understandable. However, we cannot tolerate that spilling over into violence and disorder.

"We have increased high-visibility patrols in the neighbourhood and specially trained teams of officers are also available if needs be.

"My appeal is for people to remain calm, understand what has happened and let the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) do its job."

Denton Road was closed at yesterday while investigators examined the scene.

Gary Garland, IPCC Commissioner for the North-East, said: "This is a terrible tragedy and my sympathies go out to Miss Adamson's family and friends and all those involved in the incident.

"The IPCC's investigators have been at the scene since the early hours of this morning.

"We will undertake a thorough, independent investigation into the incident."

Mr Garland said the driver of the police car was responding to the activation of his vehicle's automatic number plate recognition system. The officer has been removed from duty.

It was unclear whether the car's emergency lights and siren were activated.

One of Hayley's friends, Chris Broatch, 23, said: "I saw the whole thing. She stepped out into the road and the police car came out over the brow of the hill and hit her. The police officer driving was shaking violently and was very upset."

Officers were attacked with missiles after the collision and a 23-year-old, thought to be a Hayley's former partner, was arrested after police used a Taser gun.

Mr Broatch said: "The way the police handled the situation was poor. George Oliver, her on-off boyfriend, was beside himself with grief.

"He was shouting at the police, but they went too far by Tasering him. That night, he should have been grieving for Hayley, but instead, he was stuck in a police cell."

The IPCC's independent investigation will also examine circumstances surrounding the incident.