Police response to call involving children investigated – Avon and Somerset Police, January 2024

A member of the public contacted the police to report a group of young people who were using threatening behaviour and were dressed all in black, including wearing black balaclavas. They said one of the young people was carrying a machete. The caller said that they thought the group were about 15 or 16 years old.

Armed firearms officers were sent to the scene and three children were detained, handcuffed and searched. No weapons were found on any of the children, and they were issued with stop and search forms and released.

A resident complained to the police about the way they handled the incident and Stand Against Racism and Inequality complained on behalf of one of the children and their family.

We decided to independently investigate the decisions and actions of police officers and staff in response to the call reporting threatening behaviour, and whether this was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances, and in line with legislation, local and national policy, training, guidance and procedure.

We examined whether officers treated the children differently because of their age and/or race and if the way officers dealt with the incident was discriminatory. We also considered if the use of handcuffs was reasonable and proportionate, if officers were aggressive with family members when they communicated with them, and if officers held their guns without due care and attention.

Our investigators obtained and reviewed the police log and audio recording of the call and obtained accounts from control room staff, the force incident manager, and firearms officers. We obtained and reviewed body worn video and mobile phone footage.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner to justify disciplinary proceedings.

We found that the police responded appropriately based on the facts they were given. The use of armed firearms officers was appropriate and the use of force, including handcuffs, was justified as officers believed the children were possibly carrying machetes and were a threat to the public. Officers used their powers to search the children and search for any weapons. We did not find any evidence of discrimination.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We did not identify any organisational learning in this case.