Anger over ‘public vilification’ of police as two officers cleared of wrongdoing

Police are being “publicly vilified” for simply doing their job, a police group said after two PCs were told nine months after an arrest that they would not face disciplinary action.

The two police constables were investigated by watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the use of force on a man in a wheelchair during an arrest in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

The arrest was in May 2024, and the IOPC concluded its investigation in February of this year.

It found that there was no evidence that either officer behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “At the end of our investigation, we found that no reasonable tribunal could find the use of PAVA (spray) was not necessary, reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances as the man was being verbally abusive and threating towards officers, had spat at a colleague and was resisting efforts of officers to restrain and handcuff him.”

Andy Symonds, chairman of Norfolk Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said that officers are being “publicly vilified for simply doing the job that they are asked to do”.

“In the pursuit of justice and transparency, my colleagues are often unfairly scrutinised, punished, or even prosecuted for decisions made in high-stakes, dangerous split-second situations,” he said.

“I can think of no other profession around the world that is scrutinised like police officers are.”

He described the arrest in question as a “difficult scenario and officers were faced with threats of violence”.

“He (the man in the wheelchair) had emptied a glass bottle and was holding it by the neck,” said Mr Symonds.

“An officer was spat (at) in the face, the male managed to get possession of the officer’s PAVA cannister in the altercation.

“Officers decided to act as they can’t simply walk away.

“As a result they were investigated for an unacceptable amount of time for what was a simple case in which most of the incident was captured on CCTV and officers’ body-worn video.”

He said that nine months later, the two officers were told they had been “fully cleared of any wrongdoing, but the damage had been done—both reputationally and emotionally for these officers”.

“This intense scrutiny is one of the reasons why we see police officers leave the service or potential recruits decide that, for the poor pay, it’s simply not worth becoming a police officer,” said Mr Symonds.

He said officers are “regularly expected to navigate dangerous, emotionally charged scenarios where hesitation could lead (to) serious injuries or worse”.

“When such incidents occur, CCTV or body-worn video and social media commentary often become judge and jury, often before facts are fully gathered,” he said.

“I firmly believe that the pendulum, has swung too far (and) in many instances, it feels like targeting of officers simply for doing their job.

“I see the impact on officers’ mental health when they are under investigation and on many occasions under this spotlight for many, many months if not years.

“To continue to turn up to work and cope with daily life with the question mark on whether you will be charged with a criminal offence or be referred to a gross misconduct hearing where you could lose your job is just immeasurable.”

He called on the IOPC to speed up investigations and to “make the right and proportionate decisions when they make decisions to investigate officers”.

IOPC director Derrick Campbell said: “Police officers have considerable powers to protect the public and tackle crime and it is right that police officers are held to a higher standard than members of the public.

“Rigorous independent scrutiny is a vital part of policing by consent, and as the independent police complaints watchdog we will investigate the actions of police officers without fear or favour, applying the relevant legal tests that govern our work.”

He continued: “We know the impact that lengthy investigations can have on those involved, including officers, victims and their families, and timelines is something we’ve been working hard on to improve, because we know that a slow system doesn’t benefit anyone.”