Met Police start using What3Words after GPS blunder led to fatal crash that killed budding lawyer, 24, her friend, 19, and uncle, 36

The Metropolitan Police is to start using What3Words following a GPS blunder that led to a crash which killed three people. 

Budding lawyer Davina Ruprah, 24, her uncle Kiranjeet Sagoo, 36, and friend Sachin Kalia, 19, all died when the car they were travelling in collided with a stationary vehicle.

The coroner has claimed the fatal crash could have been avoided if an error with the police's geolocation systems had not sent the officers to the wrong junction.

Before they could arrive at the scene the BMW carrying the three passengers smashed into a Ford Transit in Rainham, east London, on July 15 2024. 

It was only when the GPS app, What3Words, was used that officers were able to visit the correct junction. 

The coroner has also urged the force to start using What3Words to avoid another tragic mishap in the future.

They added that the police's 'current reliance on mobile phone locations is not precise' in a Prevention of Future Deaths report.

Now, the Met Police has revealed it has started using the app for more precise GPS locations.

The inquest heard that: 'The Ford Transit [came] to rest on the central reservation, slightly protruding onto lane three.

Pictured: Budding lawyer Davina Ruprah, 24, who was one of three passengers killed after their car collided with a stationary vehicle in July 2024 

Sachin Kalia, 19, who also died in the crash.  The coroner has claimed the fatal crash could have been avoided if an error with the police's geolocation systems had not sent the officers to the wrong junction

'This posed a hazard to passing motorists, but [likely not] a major hazard for vehicles being driven at an appropriate speed, based on the number of vehicles that safely passed the Ford Transit.

'An emergency call was made to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at 9.19pm, identifying the site of the first collision at the Wennington junction.

'The MPS call handler did not note the Wennington junction as the location of the incident in the 'remarks' section available to her, and the computer system only listed the incorrect Dagenham junction.

'This meant that the MPS attending officers were dispatched to the incorrect location so found no trace of the incident despite checking one further junction in either direction.'

At around 10pm the BMW was 'travelling well in excess of the speed limit' when it collided with a van.

'The BMW 4 Series driver undertook emergency braking and lost control of the car,' the inquest heard.

'It is likely that the wet weather and excessive speed caused the BMW 4 Series to aquaplane and collide with the Ford Transit causing the death of Davina Kaur Ruprah, Sachin Kalia and Kiranjeet Sagoo.

'Had the officers been provided with the correct location they would likely have arrived before the time of the second collision [and] the fatal collision could have been avoided.'

Ms Ruprah was a first-class law graduate from the University of Hertfordshire who was working as an administrator at a leading law firm but about to start a new role as a paralegal.

In a fundraising page for The Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme, Ms Ruprah's family wrote that she had an Instagram page called 'Life of an Aspiring Lawyer' to 'share her experiences and advice'.

They added that 'Aspiring to Inspire', the young woman's motto, 'truly reflected her generous spirit and desire to support others'.

Nadia Persaud, Area Coroner for the coroner area of East London, has now warned that the police's reliance on 'imprecise' navigation on their phones needs to be swapped out for more reliable technology.

The coroner recommended using What3Words. She said: 'There was a great deal of confusion in relation to the precise location of the road traffic incident.

'It was only when the app What3Words was used, that a precise location was identified.

'There is plainly IT available which is capable of finely pinpointing a person's location. This is not a system built into the police IT structures.

'The current reliance on mobile phone locations is not precise. The area covered by a phone mast is quite wide.

'Despite the limitations of mobile phone location systems, over-reliance on the imprecise technology appears to raise the risk of call handlers not giving full attention to the information provided by the caller.'

She also warned that the call handler who made the mistake should have been given additional training as 'the supervisory team did not discuss the error with the call handler'.

In its response to the Prevention of Future Deaths report, the Met Police said What3Words has been rolled out across the force.

The force said: 'The MPS accepts the concerns raised regarding the limitations of mobile phone mast data and the need for more robust methods of establishing exact caller locations.

'The MetCC Academy has formally incorporated 'What3Words' into the 2026 training syllabus.

'All new call handlers are now trained to request, recognise and utilise 'What3Words' codes to support precise geolocation. All staff already have access to the system through the MPS network.

''LifeX', the replacement for the current CAD/CHS (Call Handling System), will introduce integrated 'What3Words' functionality.

'It is scheduled for implementation across MetCC in July 2026, significantly improving operators' ability to work with accurate geolocation data in real time.'