Watchdog tells police officer they’re facing criminal probe over ‘punching’ video
THE CONSTABLE HAS ALSO BEEN SERVED GROSS MISCONDUCT NOTICE OVER INCIDENT
A NORTH Wales police constable has been placed under criminal investigation after being filmed apparently punching a man nine times while restraining him. The incident occurred in May during the arrest of a 34-year-old man in Porthmadog, Gwynedd.
The unnamed officer has also been served with a gross misconduct notice. This warns of a possible breach of professional standards so serious it could result in dismissal from the force.
The officer was suspended by North Wales Police shortly after the alleged incident. A second officer who was at the scene has also been handed a misconduct notice over their level of postarrest care, which could result in “at least a written warning”.
In the footage, a male officer was seen with his arm around the man’s neck and appearing to punch him in the face. The clip also seemed to show the man being pinned to the ground by a male and female officer after a brief altercation.
Separate footage showed the man being led to a police vehicle with a swollen and bruised face. Following his arrest, he was released on bail, said the force.
The day after the incident, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation. It followed a referral from North Wales Police (NWP).
In a statement, published yesterday, the IOPC said: “We have established that at around 11am on 10 May, two officers were sent to a reported disturbance at an address in the town. At about 11.50am the officers located a man in the garden of a nearby house and arrested him.
“Footage shows an officer striking the man to his head a number of times, while on the ground. The same officer used incapacitant spray towards the man as he was being placed in the rear of a police van.
“While en route to the police station, it was noticed that the man appeared to be unwell and was given first aid.
“He was then taken by ambulance to hospital and was later released back into police custody.”
The IOPC has examined police body-worn video and phone footage of the incident. It has also taken witness statements - including from the injured man - and located relevant CCTV footage.
The IOPC wants to assess if the force used was justifiable, proportionate and necessary, and if the aftercare provided following arrest was appropriate. Also being examined is whether
the officers acted in accordance with their training and followed NWP policies and procedures. NWP is cooperating fully with the IOPC’s enquiries.
IOPC director David Ford said: “There has been considerable interest and public concern over the footage shared widely on social media, which shows some of the interaction between police officers and the man being arrested. We are progressing our investigation in a thorough and timely manner, carefully securing and examining a range of evidence to establish what took place during the whole incident.
“Based on the evidence we have reviewed so far, we have notified a police constable that they are under criminal investigation and have served them a gross misconduct notice. This does not necessarily mean that criminal or disciplinary proceedings will follow.
“We understand the officer has been suspended by North Wales Police.
“We have also served a misconduct notice on another police constable concerning the level of care provided to the man after his arrest.”