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Officer acquitted of assault in 2013 but misconduct proceedings finished this year. PC Joe Harrington Date - 21st September 2018 By - Ian Weinfass - Police Oracle A Met officer, confined to his desk more than five years after being acquitted of assault while under investigation by the police watchdog, has finally been exonerated – after nearly seven years. PC Joe Harrington’s life was effectively put on hold after the 2011 London riots where he restrained a teenager in custody. The 15-year-old accused him of assault and the then Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was called in. In June this year his case was finally dismissed at a misconduct hearing with the panel citing ‘unreasonable delay’ as the reason, with the decision only made public this week. The panel laid into the IPCC, its successor the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC) and the Met for dragging their heels, saying the delays were “unacceptable” and “excessive” and they did not think justice could be served after such a lengthy period. Its judgement said: “The personal and professional life of PC Harrington has been stilted and blighted by years of unresolved overhanging suspicion and his family life damaged to devastating effect, together with his health and wellbeing.” The Newham based officer’s nightmare began when he was suspended from work until the trial in March 2013. The Crown Prosecution Service initially said there was no case to answer, but reversed its decision and ended up charging him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. At his trial, the jury took less than 20 minutes to acquit him, but PC Harrington, now 34, was put on restricted duties and banned from leaving the police station. On one occasion, when he popped out move his car, the complainant spotted him in the street and made a further complaint – which the IPCC then decided to investigate as well, taking two years on that matter alone. In a statement PC Harrington said: “I spent the five years since my acquittal in a seemingly endless cycle of being investigated and re-investigated, confined to a desk in the station. “I was barred from any contact with the public at work, couldn’t be promoted, leave the service or move roles. “The IPCC was unhappy with my acquittal and told the press it would recommend to the Met that I be sacked. Twice they went to the High Court to overturn reports that they had written, so they could have another stab at it. “The effect on my private life was horrendous because this IPCC investigation was always hanging over me. I have been with my partner Kelly for 14 years and we have a beautiful six-year-old daughter but we had no stability in our home life; Kelly was eight months’ pregnant when this originally happened but we felt we could not get married with this hanging over us. “For a long time there was the fear that I might go to prison, then it was the fear that we might be left with a single income.” In 2017 PC Harrington and his partner were dealt two further blows when she tragically miscarried the baby they were expecting the day before her father died. In August he and Kelly became proud parents to a baby son. He added: “It got to the point that Kelly and I decided we just had to get on with our lives, which effectively had been put on hold for the past seven years. “I still love policing; it was all I ever wanted to do, since I was a child and I am thrilled that I can now get on with my life and my career. I can now properly plan for the future and even get married at some point without this constant worry hanging over us.” Police Federation conduct lead Phill Matthews said: “Seven years is just not acceptable by any standards and puts officers under appalling pressure, during which they cannot move on or get on with their lives. “The Federation has been working very hard to work with the IOPC to address those issues, not least to examine whether discipline matters could often be dealt with by way of performance management rather than going straight to misconduct as the default. “We are calling for less of a blame culture to focus more on training or re-training, raising the performance not just of the individual, but forces as a whole.” The watchdog says it is making efforts to bring down the length of its investigations. IOPC director Jonathan Green said: “The background to this case details a sorry tale of complexity, bureaucracy, various legal challenges and delay and we regret any distress or anxiety caused by unnecessary delay on our part. “The new senior leadership team at the IOPC is committed to improving both the quality and timeliness of our investigations and the experience of those who are engaged with the police complaints system.” He added: “We believe that changes made and being made to the system along with improvements to our own procedures will help to ensure no repetition of cases like this. “We have a small number of long running legacy cases which we are making good progress in bringing to conclusion and we are completing our recent cases quicker – a third within six months and three quarters within a year.” View On Police Oracle

Head of professional standards for NPCC calls for 'revolution' in attitudes. CC Martin Jelley The police misconduct system must become more focused on learning and improvement and less on punishment, the national lead for professional standards says. Regulations are being reformed to help change the misconduct system, but a change in culture is also needed, according to Chief Constable Martin Jelley. In an interview with Police Oracle he revealed that 39 recommendations have been sent to the Home Office from the NPCC in a bid to bring about change, following months of work on the issue. "We need a bit of a revolution. It is a system that does feel as though it is too focused on punishment and the desire at my level and elsewhere is to move it to being about learning and development with a strong performance regime to support it," he said. "The system we’ve got, whilst workable, is not a great system for the public and it's not a great system for our officers and staff. "It must feel very blame focused and because of the processes and procedure we go through often investigations are not concluded for a very long period of time. That's obviously not great if you're a member of the public who made a complaint and it goes on for a long time and its certainly not great if you're an officer under investigation for a very long period of time. "That will impact on your family, your welfare and other things." CC Jelley compared the police complaints process to shopping, giving the example of someone taking back food which is off and asking for a refund. "When you go into the supermarket you're not looking for the person who stacked the shelves to lose their jobs. "While policing is a very different activity, we seem to go at it from a position which is looking for blame, which is looking for punishment when actually, can we learn, sometimes apologise and move on from this very quickly. That's where we want to see a shift in the system going forward." He said work has been under way for some time with the Home Office and Independent Office for Police Conduct, formerly the IPCC, adding "you'd be surprised at the level of consensus" about the need for change. One of the concerns, the Warwickshire chief says, is that too many cases beginning as gross misconduct when they should be performance matters, citing the example of incivility as being one which is commonly miscategorised. He said that while professional standards departments are responsible for this, reforming the regulations they work to will make this a less frequent occurrence. He added that chiefs, the Home Office, IOPC and others "all want system that focuses on the most serious elements of misconduct and takes a more pragmatic and proportionate view". It is expected that the regulations will be changed in the early part of 2019, but CC Jelley says a cultural change is as important as the law View On Police Oracle

Breaking now from the BBC... Police officer and woman killed in Sheffield crash A police officer and a 61-year-old woman have died in a crash on Christmas Day. The 46-year-old officer was responding to an incident when the marked vehicle he was driving was in collision with a car on the A57 in Sheffield. South Yorkshire Police said the officer died at the scene and the woman, who was a passenger in the second vehicle, died in hospital. The collision happened at about 20:15 GMT near to Coisley Hill. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42486033 There are number of other articles that given more information, including:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5212917/Woman-police-officer-die-Sheffield-Christmas-crash.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/crash-killed-police-officer-woman-citroen-sheffield-a8128701.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41851419 Met Police pursuit death review collapses after delays 2 November 2017 From the section London A misconduct hearing against two police officers over the fatal pursuit of a teenager has collapsed because of "unprecedented" delays in the case. Liam Albert, 17, died in July 2009 when the car he was driving crashed as it was being followed by officers. Met Police officers PC John Wills and Insp Mandy Chamberlain were accused of gross misconduct. But a disciplinary panel ruled the pair could not get a fair hearing because too much time had elapsed. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which conducted the investigation, has apologised to Mr Albert's family. 'Longest delay' Lawyers acting for the officers claimed relevant witnesses had died and the "meat of the case" rested on recalling a small window of time lasting about five minutes. Mr Albert's vehicle was involved in a collision in Esher after the chase began in Merton. A Metropolitan Police misconduct hearing heard that all evidence against the officers was available by December 2009. Insp Chamberlain, who was accused of trying to delete photographic evidence and withholding evidence, was given notice she was under investigation in January 2014. This appears to be the longest delay in the history of misconduct hearings, Hugh Davies, counsel for Insp Chamberlain, said. 'Tragic loss' PC Wills was accused of failing to put a videotape in the car's camera system, failing to properly report the pursuit and removing evidence from the collision scene without authority. In a statement the IPCC said it "recognised" the process had "taken far too long". "Since this investigation concluded, the IPCC has undergone a substantial change programme and has made significant improvements in the way we work to prevent similar delays occurring" the IPCC said. Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin said: "Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Liam's family for their tragic loss." Case collapses after too much time. I note that apologies have been made to the family of the 'victim' but there is no reference to any apology to the officers involved. Edited to add - Can a Grown up modify my post to show the article in full not just the link, thanks

Your an ambulance! But seriously, the instance of ambulance calling police with a medical emergency they simply can't cover seems to be increasing. We are frequently asked to go and end up driving the person to hospital because we can't leave the person and can't wait the 4h for the next ambulance. I'm not blaming them, they are cut to the bone and worse. Does anyone have a force policy or guidance in place about this matter? We carry a huge risk doing transport, especially without proper medical assessment and should something go wrong the IPCC will be ready with their claws out.. I can't find anything on our systems that is very helpful.

Fed says case is not isolated example. A constable remains confined to his station more than four years after being acquitted of assault while the IPCC’s investigation into him drags on. Met PC Joe Harrington, who describes policing as “all I ever wanted to do” has now been on restricted duties for longer than he served, prior to an accusation was made against him which was dismissed by a jury in a matter of minutes. The Police Federation of England and Wales are highlighting his case as one of dozens they say the slow processes of the Independent Police Complaints Commission have caused. In a statement issued through the staff association, PC Harrington, 33, said: “I am still barred from any contact with the public at work; I can’t be promoted, leave the service or move roles. I was acquitted at a jury trial years ago but I can’t move on with my life because this IPCC investigation is always lurking in the background. “I have been with my partner for 13 years and we have a five-year-old daughter, but we have no stability in our home life; my partner was eight months’ pregnant when this originally happened but we felt we could not get married with this hanging over us. “For a long time there was a fear that I might go to prison, now it’s the fear that we might be left with a single income.” Asked if he would return to policing if the investigation is lifted, PC Harrington, who says he now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder told PoliceOracle.com: “Policing is all I ever wanted to do, but I don't want to put myself in a position where this could happen to me again. “I would have to think very hard about going into a role with any scope for confrontation.” The Newham-based officer restrained a teenager in custody during the 2011 London riots. He had been serving for three years at the time. The 15-year-old accused him of assault and the watchdog was called in. The CPS initially said there was no case to answer, however it reversed its decision and ended up charging him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. PC Harrington was suspended from work until the trial in March 2013, where a jury took less than half an hour to acquit him. “The IPCC were unhappy with my acquittal and told the press that they would recommend to the Met that I be sacked,” he said. The IPCC Commissioner who directed the case is Jennifer Izekor, who stood down in March while Police Scotland began investigating an unrelated matter she was involved in. PC Harrington has also been the subject of other complaints which the IPCC have spent years investigating, and in 2015 the Court of Appeal ruled that the watchdog was entitled to re-open a case against him, and any other it decides that it had not pursued properly in the first instance if its initial investigations were flawed. “Although my suspension has been lifted, I have spent the four years since my acquittal in a seemingly endless cycle of being investigated and reinvestigated, and confined to a desk in the station," the officer added. “The IPCC have twice been to the High Court to overturn reports that they had written, so that they could have another stab at it.” PC Harrington told PoliceOracle.com he has received support from the Met but they decided not to remove him from restricted duties. He said: “I think they’re concerned about the negative press they would receive if they lifted the restrictions. Several officers have spoken up for me but the decision was they would not be lifting restrictions until the misconduct process is removed.” The Police Federation of England and Wales is holding a special session at its conference next week on the IPCC. The association’s conduct lead Phill Mathews said: “Sadly Joe’s story is not an isolated case and really highlights the effects of such drawn out cases on officers and their families. “We want to work with the IPCC and forces to ensure that officers are treated fairly and complaints investigated expeditiously so that yet more public money doesn't get wasted, our members and their families are no longer made ill, driven out of the service or have unwarranted press intrusion in their lives.” A spokesman for the IPCC said their investigation into the assault case was completed within five months, but the reactions of the force and complainant held up proceedings. As did a move to quash its own findings in a separate matter relating to PC Harrington. She added: "The report was submitted to the Metropolitan Police (MPS) in June 2013 and in August 2014 the force agreed he should face a gross misconduct hearing but requested a delay to setting a hearing date pending the outcome of a linked case involving the same officer. The IPCC accepted this request." The watchdog says it completed the investigation into the linked case in October 2012 but sought to reinvestigate one element of it and the Met’s legal challenge against the plan held it up. “Separately, the 15-year-old male submitted a large number of complaints which were all investigated by the MPS. “The complainant lodged a number of appeals against the force’s findings which resulted in the MPS reinvestigating areas of the complaint. “In October 2016 the MPS reinvestigation did not uphold the complaints against the constable. The complainant appealed in November 2016 and in January 2017 the IPCC upheld the complaint,” she added. The spokesman added that the Met was then directed to hold a gross misconduct hearing into the matters, despite the force disagreeing with the findings. A spokesman for the Met said this direction was received last week and a hearing is “in the process of being arranged”. View on Police Oracle

Police officers directly involved in fatal incidents should be separated as quickly as possible to prevent conferring, a watchdog has said. The step is part of new guidance from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). It relates to how evidence should be collected immediately after a member of the public has died or been seriously injured during contact with the police. But the Police Federation said the move was "without cause". The guidance proposes that key policing witnesses should be separated as soon as it is "operationally safe" until after they have provided their personal initial account. Collusion The IPCC said separating officers after an incident to prevent conferring was designed to ensure officers provide individual accounts of only what they saw, heard and did. This avoids actual or perceived collusion or their accounts being unintentionally influenced by those of others, the watchdog said. The issue of conferring among officers came under the spotlight following the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan in 2011. A jury later concluded he was lawfully killed by police. armed police stand outside downing street in London IPCC deputy chair Sarah Green said: "The measures we have outlined do not treat police officers as suspects, but as witnesses whose early individual accounts will help ensure the integrity and smooth running of the critical early stages in any investigation." Che Donald, firearms lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales, said officers were "under no illusion" of the scrutiny they face following a death or serious incident. He added: "They are witnesses first and foremost and to separate them in the immediate aftermath of a highly traumatic incident is neither proportionate nor necessary and without cause." If approved by the home secretary, all police forces in England and Wales would be obliged to make use of the new guidance in the event of fatalities or serious injuries resulting from firearms operations, incidents in custody or other police contact. I saw this on the BBC and thought you should see it: IPCC advises separating police officers after fatal incidents - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39034668

Retired officer's subsequent complaint was investigated with a 'clear lack of independence'. The IPCC knew for months it had no evidence of wrongdoing by a former Fed rep, but did not tell him, it has been revealed. A senior staff member told colleagues at the watchdog he was “dismayed” by its actions, which he believed had a detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the retired officer. The organisation took “several months” to inform former Met rep John Jeffrey he had no case to answer over claims he had acted improperly during an inquest. Mr Jeffrey supported two officers, Sgt Paul White and PC Mark Harratt, who were on duty in August 2008 when Sean Rigg died in custody at Brixton Police Station. He was accused by the watchdog of passing information regarding evidence from one to the other during the inquest into Mr Rigg’s death. Senior staff member Joseph Penrose criticised his colleagues for leaving it until March 2014 before informing Mr Jeffrey they had no evidence against him, having known this since summer 2013. He wrote in an email the body gave a “misleading” impression to the former rep in an email when it claimed to have only just concluded he had done nothing wrong. “ have to say I am dismayed by our handling of this case, which clearly has resulted in a decline in his wellbeing. The final report has been completed for several months and was QA’d [quality assured] by me around the end of 2013, I found very little wrong with it. Mary and Noranne had views on the conclusions which led to the subsequent delays whilst these were fine-tuned – repeatedly,” he said. “Throughout that time Mr Jeffrey has been becoming increasingly agitated because of a lack of decision on his culpability, and this led to a series of complaints by him against staff, and the commissioner. “Much of this could have been avoided, since it has been abundantly clear since the summer of 2013 that we had absolutely no evidence that Mr Jeffrey conspired with the other two officers at the inquest. We were in a position to confirm that when I QA’d the final report.” He added he believed the delay was “unacceptable” and had wrongly left the former officer “in limbo”. High Court Judge Lord Justice Irwin revealed the email in a judgement in which he found in favour of Mr Jeffrey, who had accused the watchdog of not properly investigating complaints he had made about his treatment. He also described Ayaz Hassan and Paul Davies, from the watchdog’s internal investigation unit, of having an “over-close and inappropriate relationship” with those they were supposed to be investigating inside the IPCC. “There was a clear lack of independence in the way [they] set about their investigation,” he said. And he concluded the watchdog carried out a poor review of whether it had been appropriate to arrest and detain Mr Jeffrey over the matter. He did not find it unreasonable for the watchdog to have categorised the complaints as “non-serious” when reviewing them, however. IPCC Deputy Chairman Sarah Green said the organisation accepted the judgement. She added: "We are writing to the former officer to apologise for the delay in informing him that no further action would be taken against him, and will reinvestigate elements of his complaint as directed by the court. "We are working through the implications for our internal guidance with regard to informing those under investigation of decisions affecting them at the earliest and most appropriate time. "We regret that our internal investigation was not dealt with as rigorously as it should have been, and we are reviewing our internal investigation processes to ensure they are demonstrably independent, thorough and robust." In setting out his judgement, Lord Justice Irwin also warned: “It may be that careful thought should in future be given [over] whether it is wise that the same Federation Representative should maintain contact with [the same] police officers who are forbidden to communicate with each other through the crucial phase of a case.” No charges were ever brought against PC Harratt. In November Sgt White was found not guilty of perjury relating to his evidence at the 2012 inquest. View On Police Oracle

Scotland Yard considers probe into IPCC police misconduct allegations Danny Shaw Home affairs correspondent 08 October 2016 UK New Scotland Yard sign Scotland Yard is considering whether to launch a criminal investigation into claims the Independent Police Complaints Commission deliberately suppressed evidence during an inquiry into alleged police misconduct. Three police officers were cleared at a misconduct hearing in July and have lodged a criminal complaint with the Met about the conduct of the IPCC. Scotland Yard said it was "assessing" information relating to "two linked allegations of crime". The IPCC said it was "aware" of the allegations. The IPCC has previously apologised for failings in the way it dealt with the case, It concerned a black firefighter, Edric Kennedy-Macfoy, who was Tasered by police during a disturbance at Harrow, north-west London, in September 2011. The fireman claimed he had been assaulted and racially discriminated against by police. Undisclosed material Last year, the Metropolitan Police apologised and paid him compensation to settle a civil claim he had brought against the force. Three months ago, as a hearing was due to start against three policemen accused of gross misconduct, their legal teams say they received material that had not previously been disclosed. It allegedly contained accounts from eyewitnesses, including other police officers and bystanders. The IPCC withdrew from the case and the officers were formally cleared. At the time, the watchdog issued an apology to Mr Kennedy-Macfoy and the officers saying that it had identified "procedural shortfalls". It said they "related to disclosure of relevant material and the need for further investigative work, including witness interviews, which it became clear were not conducted during the investigation". The organisation set up an "in-depth review" headed by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman. However, the police officers have made a formal complaint alleging the IPCC deliberately withheld evidence and that criminal offences may have been committed. The IPCC commissioner in charge of the misconduct investigation into the police officers was Jennifer Izekor. In a statement commenting on the allegations made by the officers about the IPCC, Ms Izekor said: "I am confident that these allegations are without foundation. "It would be inappropriate to say more at this stage." 'Lives tarnished' Scotland Yard said: "We can confirm that in September the MPS [Metropolitan Police] received two linked allegations of crime, relating to issues arising from a misconduct hearing in July 2016 which was halted because of issues with disclosure. "The allegation [sic] has been recorded and is being assessed," the force said, although it did not specify against whom the complaints had been made. An IPCC spokesman said: "The MPS has made us aware that two linked allegations are being assessed and as such it would be inappropriate to say more at this stage." If an investigation were to be launched, it is thought it would be the first time that a police force had examined criminal allegations made against the police watchdog. John Downes, the lawyer representing the officers, said their lives had been "tarnished" by the misconduct allegations. "We welcome the news that officers from Scotland Yard are assessing the criminal claims against the IPCC. My clients have suffered for the past five years since the original incident. "They now hope the allegations they have made against the IPCC are taken seriously by the Metropolitan Police and look forward to being updated soon."Scotland Yard considers probe into IPCC police misconduct allegations - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37594421

Source.

Met police accused of abusing black fireman have case to answer, says IPCC The IPCC has concluded there was evidence the officers racially stereotyped firefighter Edric Kennedy-Macfoy. Photograph: Casey Moore for the Guardian Six Metropolitan police officers accused of responding to an offer of assistance from an off-duty black firefighter by abusing him, dragging him from his car and shooting him with a Taser should face disciplinary charges for possible racial discrimination, the official watchdog has concluded. Edric Kennedy-Macfoy has accused police of behaving like wild animals when he approached them in a north London suburb to provide them with a description of a man he spotted throwing a rock at a police van. After a 20-month investigation into the case, which involved tracking down members of the public who witnessed the incident, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded there was evidence the officers racially stereotyped the fireman, according to a summary of its key findings in the case, which has been seen by the Guardian. The IPCC is referring a dossier of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service after concluding a police constable could also face criminal charges over the use of the Taser. The watchdog also found police failed to act with integrity, courtesy, patience, discretion, professional judgment or common sense. The most senior-ranking officer among those accused, former inspector David Burgum, denied the charges, questioned the firefighter’s motives and took the unusual step of condemning the statutory watchdog that investigates serious police complaints. “In my opinion Mr Kennedy-Macfoy has cynically played the race card for his own ends,” Burgum said in a statement to the Guardian. “I do not consider that the IPCC have conducted an independent investigation. They are political organisation with a strong anti-police bias.” Kennedy-Macfoy was driving through Harrow around 3.30am in September 2011 when he saw a young man hurl the rock at the police van. After noting a description of the young man, Kennedy-Macfoy flagged down the van driver and approached a line of officers to pass the information on. A disagreement ensued in which, the IPCC said, several officers used abusive language against Kennedy-Macfoy. The off-duty fireman complained officers repeatedly swore at him, before charging at his car and pulling him from the vehicle. In an account he gave the Guardian in 2012, Kennedy-Macfoy, then 29, said he responded by calmly and showed his palms to the officers, telling them: “Listen guys, I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m a firefighter – I work with you lot and I just want to explain something.” He said the Taser was discharged, without warning, when he was walking backwards with his hands in the air. The final report from the IPCC investigation has not been made public or provided to any of the parties involved. However, a summary of the IPCC’s key findings, seen by the Guardian, concludes the police’s initial reaction to Kennedy-Macfoy was based purely on his ethnic appearance. The watchdog’s report names six officers, including Burgum, who it says have a case to answer for gross misconduct in respect of their alleged racial discrimination of Kennedy-Macfoy. In addition to the ex-inspector, they include a sergeant, three police constables and a special constable. One of the constables - the officer who twice discharged the Taser - could also face criminal charges, the IPCC states. “The IPCC has completed its investigation into a complaint made by Edric Kennedy- Macfoy relating to his arrest by [Met] officers in September 2011,” a spokesperson for the watchdog said. “The IPCC will be referring a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration related to an officer’s use of Taser.” The IPCC did not find sufficient evidence to uphold a complaint against two officers: a seventh officer, of constable rank, who was also present on the night, and a detective inspector who initially handled the fireman’s complaint. After Kennedy-Macfoy was shot with the Taser, he was arrested and charged with obstructing police. He was found not guilty after a trial at Brent magistrates court. During those proceedings Burgum gave evidence about the fireman’s racial appearance, which later formed part his complaint. Burgum told the court his officers were in a “stressful” situation and had been dealing with a group of partygoers who had been throwing missiles at them. According to a court clerk’s notes of proceedings, Burgum added: “I couldn’t say he was anything to do with the party. The party was all black. He was black. He had driven through the cordon. I had to do a quick risk assessment.” Burgum retired from the Met in January and now works for a private company that has an outsourced contract to train prospective Met police recruits. In his statement to the Guardian, Burgum called the account given by the fireman and apparently supported by the IPCC investigation “implausible in the extreme”. The ex-inspector is among the four officers the IPCC concluded have additional cases to answer for misconduct on the night – in his case, for swearing at Kennedy-Macfoy. Burgum said it was ridiculous for the IPCC to raise concern about his abusive language toward fireman because “Mr Kennedy-Macfoy swore at me first”. “The suggestion that the police reaction to Mr Kennedy-Macfoy was based purely on his ethnic appearance and that the police officers racially stereotyped him is likewise ridiculous,” he said, adding that some of his police colleagues present on the night were “of ethnic minority backgrounds” and they, too, reject the suggestion that this was “a racial incident”. Given he has retired, Burgum cannot face disciplinary proceedings. However, the other five officers, who all remain at the Met, could be subject to a misconduct hearing. The Met declined to say whether it would hold such a hearing. “As is normal procedure, we will consider the report’s finding and associated evidence and respond to the IPCC within the statutory 15 working days,” a Met spokesman said. If the Met decides against holding the hearing, the IPCC has powers to compel the force to do so. Asked if the watchdog planned to use that authority, an IPCC spokesperson said: “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” Kennedy-Macfoy’s solicitor, Shamik Dutta of the firm Bhatt Murphy, said: “In light of the IPCC’s findings we now look to the CPS and the Met police commissioner to properly consider all the evidence that has been gathered and to make a decision which does justice to that evidence.” The IPCC and Met have clashed over the Kennedy-Macfoy case before. His complaint was initially investigated by the Met’s professional standards department, with arm’s-length supervision from the IPCC. That internal inquiry provisionally concluded no police officer should face disciplinary or criminal proceedings. The IPCC then took the unusual step of rejecting the Met’s inquiry in its entirety, initiating the fully independent investigation. It is that inquiry that, after almost two years collecting and analysing the evidence, concluded six officers have a case to answer for racially-motivated misconduct. View the full article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36936264

The police complaints watchdog is to be overhauled and renamed. The home secretary, Theresa May, announced that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) would become the Office for Police Conduct. Guardian: Full story

‘I blocked a bailiff – and paid the price’ When Ronald Grant became involved in a brawl with a JBW ‘enforcement agent’ he was arrested and lost his job. He was later completely vindicated by the Crown Prosecution Service http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/aug/15/bailiff-rights-dispute-jbw-police-enforcement

A man has died after being shot when firearms officers were called to a house in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, police have said. Officers were called to a property in Duck Lane after receiving reports of concern for people inside. The man was shot by a firearms officer just after 20:00 BST and died at the scene. No-one else was injured. The Independent Police Complaints Comission (IPCC) has begun an investigation. Cambridgeshire Police said it would "not be appropriate to comment further" at this stage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-34601154

A suspected thief has died after being restrained by members of the public and then handcuffed by police. For full story please use the following link. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/10/suspected-thief-restrained-by-members-of-public-and-police-dies-in-hospital At least it seems the officers quickly identified suspect was ill and summoned medical assistance right away. It's unfortunate that this person has died, but if he had just committed a robbery I suspect he didn't take kindly to bring detained. As such any attempt to detain him can be a frightening, violent, traumatic experience for all concerned.

source Well they're at it again, this time through the lefty propaganda machine that is change.org. Gotta love how they've used a Daily Mail article and one that has a question mark in its headline as a source, that's like me handing in my PhD thesis with Wikipedia as a source. "If Trident acted more responsibly, Mark may not have been killed" - If Mark had acted more responsibly he wouldn't have been killed, that's a lot more indisputable than your statement. It's always the police who should take responsibility for everyone else, woe betide they should take responsibility for their own actions.

source Lets hope the officers involved had the appropriate paperwork completed and submitted so the IPCC can't stick em on for anything.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31907201

http://touch.policeoracle.com/news/article.html?id=Chief hails professionalism of officers who saved woman's life after her ex-partner threatened to murder her A chief constable has praised firearms officers after the police watchdog said they acted "appropriately" when they shot and tasered a man who was holding his ex-partner hostage. Sir Jon Murphy (pictured), of Merseyside Police, said: "The outcome of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation demonstrates the professionalism and courage of our officers, in particular firearms officers, who never know what they are going to be faced with when they start their shift." The non-fatal incident concerned took place on May 22 last year after officers were called to a house on Shellingford Road in Dovecot to reports that a woman was being held hostage by a man who was later identified as her ex-partner Elemir Lakatos. CC Murphy said: "The report stated that the man was in an agitated state and was believed to be in possession of a gun and knife and was threatening to harm the woman. We also became aware that he had been holding two children hostage and had threatened to kill their mother in front of them." For over an hour officers tried to negotiate with Lakatos as he threatened to shoot them and held a blade to his former partner's throat. Lakatos, who was drinking from a whisky bottle throughout the incident, was also phoning a friend with updates on his intentions and he told the friend that he intended to kill his former partner and would shoot police officers. A short while later he could be seen through the front window of the house, his former partner was kneeling down and he appeared to have a gun to the back of her head and was threatening to shoot her. After the firearms commander decided there was an immediate threat to life officers used distraction devices and CS gas before storming the building, and the woman hostage was able to escape. The officer who fired the shot told IPCC investigators that he had done so in self defence after Lakatos came towards him with armed with a large knife. Another officer discharged his taser as Lakatos lay on the floor and struggled with officers who tried to secure him. Lakatos' weapons were not visible, leading to fears that he may have had them on his possession at the time. When the finally successfully restrained Lakatos they were able to confirm he had been shot in the chest and immediately provided medical assistance to him. A search of the property recovered a large knife and silicon applicator that had been wrapped in back tape to make it look like a firearm. Openness The IPCC concluded the officers' actions were "proportionate and appropriate". IPCC Commissoner James Dipple-Johnstone said: "It is clear that Merseyside Police was dealing with a rapidly changing situation involving a threat to someone's life and despite the negotiaions they eventually had no choice but to enter the house when it appeared that the threat was being acted upon." He also praised the officers and force for their "openness and cooperation" during the investigation. CC Murphy said the officer who used potentially lethal force had been left with "no option" but to do so. He added: “This was a very fluid situation which could have had a very different outcome and the victim herself thanked the police for their actions on the day and their support and guidance throughout a difficult time. "Judge Clement Goldstone, who sentenced Lakatos to eight years, said the officers ‘deserved considerable commendation for the caution which they exhibited. When they shot him it was the last resort and not to kill’." Merseyside's Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said: "I completely endorse the comments made by the Chief Constable, Sir Jon Murphy, and I applaud the officers involved, whose actions on the day ensured a safe outcome for the victim."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31717179 Met Police handling of boy's royal wedding day death investigated Vishal Mehrotra's father said he had given police evidence he was killed by "highly placed" paedophiles Continue reading the main story Related Stories 'Royal wedding day' murder re-examined The Met Police's handling of a child's disappearance on the way home from Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981 is to be investigated. Eight-year old Vishal Mehrotra was murdered on his way home to Putney. His father said he had given the police a recording of a man who claimed Vishal had been abducted and killed by "highly placed" paedophiles. The force has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission amid corruption allegations. Vishal, whose father is a retired magistrate, was walking home after watching the royal wedding parade when he disappeared. The boy's remains were found the following year in remote marshland at a farm in Rogate, near the Hampshire-West Sussex border. The police force said: "Met were made aware of a complaint alleging corruption relating to the Met Police's original missing person investigation into the disappearance of Vishal Mehrotra via the press." This complaint has been referred to the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards and would shortly go to the IPCC, it said. Yes, it is right that all deaths are investigated properly. But investigating the investigators? Could you remember what you were doing 34 years ago? The exact thought processes you followed?

http://www.courier.co.uk/Investigation-dropped-Kent-Police-Crime/story-26077091-detail/story.html

Essex police have apologised to alleged victims of child abuse after uncovering problems with the effectiveness of 30 investigations. Ch Con Stephen Kavanagh said he was “very disappointed” to discover the failings and said the cases had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. “I was very disappointed to learn of this and I am now determined that we find out exactly what has happened and to rectify things quickly, not least for the victims,” he said. “The force is working hard to put in place new systems to stop this from happening again. If individuals have failed in their duties then they will be held to account, but we will also look at all possible aspects of why this has happened.” Most of the 30 investigations relate to the work of the child abuse investigation team that covers north Essex, the force said. New officers had been put in charge of all 30 investigations and a senior retired detective had been brought in to review the ongoing child abuse investigations, it added. “We have contacted the families of those involved in these investigations to let them know what is happening and apologise for the undoubted distress this has caused them,” the force said. Essex police force was criticised last year after it emerged that officers failed to investigate teacher Martin Goldberg for 10 months after receiving allegations about him from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) centre. Goldberg, 46, secretly recorded thousands of images of naked boys at Thorpe Hall school in Southend before killing himself a day after police visited him on 9 September. Information about Goldberg was passed to Essex police in November 2013 after it was handed to Ceop, now part of the National Crime Agency, by Toronto police in July 2012. The intelligence, dubbed Project Spade, was an international sting that caught people attempting to purchase child abuse images over the internet. Information about 2,300 suspected paedophiles in the UK, including Goldberg, was not disseminated to forces around the UK until November 2013 after it became part of the National Crime Agency. View the full article

Three police officers have been served with gross misconduct notices after a seven-year-old girl was injured when a police gun was accidentally fired in front of a group of children. The girl suffered minor facial injuries when the firearm was discharged by an officer during a demonstration at Nottinghamshire police headquarters in November. She was hit in the face by an empty cartridge but did not need hospital treatment. The group of children and parents were being shown specialist police services including firearms and dogs at Sherwood Lodge, near Hucknall, after they won a local prize, The incident prompted an urgent inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which on Tuesday said it had served gross misconduct notices to two firearms officers and a police dog handler as part of the ongoing investigation. The watchdog also said it was examining Nottinghamshire police’s response to the incident and whether officers attempted a coverup. IPCC commissioner Derrick Campbell said: “I am extremely concerned about the discharge of a police gun at an event attended by members of the public. “The public must have confidence that police officers who carry guns do so with highest standards of care and professionalism – and that the policies and procedures that govern their work are rigorously adhered to at all times.” One of the strands of the IPCC inquiry is why live firearms were present and used as part of the open day for adults and children at the Nottinghamshire police headquarters. The watchdog is also investigating whether force and national policies and protocols were breached by the presence of live firearms at the demonstration and whether their use was authorised. Investigators have obtained CCTV footage of the incident and made contact with the injured girl’s family, the IPCC said. The three officers are to be interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation. The watchdog will also examine previous firearms incidents at Nottinghamshire police within the past six months where negligence may have been reported. View the full article

A man is in a critical condition after being shot by police who were called to an incident in a Kent village. Firearms officers and police negotiators were sent to a house in Hersden, near Canterbury at 11.20pm on Sunday. A young woman inside the house suffered stab wounds and a 40-year-old male relative was shot by a police officer. Kent police said the pair were taken to hospital, where they are both in a critical condition. A police spokesman said the case had been voluntarily referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission. View the full article