THE Met Police said the number of car crashes in Waltham Forest where its officers have been at fault has dropped by a fifth – following the latest in a string of accidents involving patrol vehicles.

A police car crashed into a black Mercedes in Forest Road, close to the junction with Woodstock Road, while on an emergency call last Thursday.

It is the FIFTH time in less than a year that a patrol car has been involved in a major crash in the borough.

Two officers were taken to hospital with back injuries, believed to be non-serious. Nobody in the Mercedes is believed to have been hurt in the crash which happened at about 7pm.

Responding to the crash, a Met spokeswoman said accidents where police are to blame in the borough have dropped by 18 per cent in the 12 months until the end of September.

She added: “We regularly review driver training procedures to ensure that our staff receive the most professional and appropriate training available.

“Officers are all trained to a high standard, and are fully aware that action may be taken against any officer who falls below that standard.

“This may involve retraining and, in some cases, removal from driving duties.

“We ensure we teach our drivers to act in professional and measured manner at all times.”

Last October a police officer had to be cut from a patrol car after a crash on Wood Street, near the junction with Forest Road, not far from the latest incident.

A Vauxhall Astra containing two officers on an emergency call, collided with a BMW, which was carrying a man and a woman.

All four were treated for non-serious injuries at Whipps Cross University Hopsital.

On the same day a Fiat Punto crashed into a white van in Lea Bridge Road, after being pursued by police. Again, nobody was seriously hurt.

And in May a police car swerved off Billet Road, in Walthamstow and crashed into a wall while responding to an emergency call.

In June, former serviceman Brian Elton, 72, of Endlebury Road, Chingford, died after being knocked down by a police car.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) decided not to investigate as it was satisfied the car had its lights and sirens on and was travelling at an “acceptable” speed.