Complaints of use of excessive force - Northumbria Police, April 2017

On 1 April 2017, Northumbria Police attended a call relating to threats to kill made by a man towards his brother, who was reported to be at the man’s house. Four officers arrived at the man’s house, but he refused to allow them in and was allegedly abusive towards the officers. After asking the man several times to open the door, the officers decided to force entry, as they were concerned that someone inside may be requiring urgent assistance. As officers were trying to get inside the house through the door, the man kicked the hand of one of the officers.

When inside, two officers used force to tackle the man to the ground and restrain him, as he was behaving in an aggressive manner. The other two officers assisted in applying handcuffs and limb restraints to the man. He was then arrested and transported to custody, where he made a complaint of excessive force during his arrest. He said he had been punched in the ribs and that his head had been stood on. The man was taken to hospital and it was confirmed he had sustained serious injuries, including a number of broken ribs.

In June 2017 the man was convicted of assaulting a police officer and fined.

Northumbria Police referred this matter to us on 29 September 2017, over five months after the incident occurred.

During the investigation, investigators interviewed the man and his lodger, as well as a number of police witnesses. Two officers were also served with notices of investigation and interviewed under the criminal caution. In addition, we examined a number of radio transmissions and phone calls and reviewed policies and procedures.

Based on the evidence available, we were of the opinion that officers’ use of force was in line with the applicable legislation, policies and procedures in making an arrest and in self-defence. We were also of the view that it would be difficult to establish if the man’s injuries had been caused by a prior disturbance before officers arrived, by an alleged punch to the ribs, or by him falling through a coffee table with two officers landing on top of him.

At the end of the investigation, we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

Northumbria Police agreed with our findings. The force also acknowledged that it made an error that resulted in an extensive delay in referring the matter to us. Northumbria Police has taken steps to ensure future referrals to us are made in a timely manner.