WHEN police officers attend the scene of a collision they usually don’t know what awaits them.

The accident aftermath might resemble a catastrophic film scene with blood, disfigured limbs and most traumatic of all, a fatally injured child.

So with all these nightmare scenarios possible, what are an officer’s priorities on arrival and how do they respond?

PC Bob Conway, from Hereford’s roads policing team, said: “Dealing with a collision is not always pleasant, especially with a road death.

On other occasions it can be particularly distressing when there is a child involved. Some crashes can be quite gory.

“People often ask me how I cope. I tell them I’m there to do a professional job and just switch off to that side of things and get on with it.

You’re no good to a casualty if you can’t do your job properly.”

When the police arrive, their priority is to protect the scene through the positioning of vehicles, cones, signs and lights.

“It may seem wrong to do this first but there’s no point trying to deal with casualties, only to allow another vehicle to plough into the scene and cause even more mayhem,” said PC Conway.

The second priority is to deal with casualties and assist the ambulance and fire services.

“If the crash is likely to result in a death, the collision investigation unit will be called out, and diversions put in place as the collision site will now be regarded as a crime scene. Vehicles driving through the site could destroy vital evidence,” said PC Conway.

The third priority is to obtain details and give drivers a breath test. Vehicles are removed and, if appropriate, the road re-opened. A report will be submitted to the Justice Support Team and, for serious accidents, further investigation can be carried out and a prosecution undertaken.

“In road death cases the police also appoint a specially-trained family liaison officer to support the family in their time of grief and keep them updated about what’s going on,” said PC Conway.

“The work can be very emotional but I know that liaison officers have also made many life-long friends through their support.”

PC Conway offers the following advice to motorists.

“With modern cars as they are, it’s not the nut on the wheel that’s the problem so much as the nut behind the wheel,” he said.

“Concentrate solely on your driving, drive at the right speed for the conditions and don’t take chances.”

Leaflets are available to explain the service but anyone with suggestions for improvements can call the Hereford Roads Policing Team on 0300 333 3000.

■ Meanwhile, young drivers can go on a course for under-30s to improve their motoring skills.

Drivealive! sessions are being hosted by Herefordshire Advanced Motorists to provide free advanced driving courses for 17 to 30-year-olds. The sessions take place on June 10 and 17 between 7pm and 9pm at Hereford Sixth Form College in Folly Lane.

Anyone interested in taking place can email the Drivealive Team at drivealive@live.co.uk.