Man complains after force used – Metropolitan Police Service, March 2024

Police officers decided to pursue a car after it failed to stop when requested to do so. The occupant/s of the car left the vehicle on foot and a chase commenced. 

A police dog was deployed by a police dog handler. The dog found a man and began biting his body. Multiple officers arrived at the scene and told the man to put his hands behind his head. 

The officers used force to detain the man, and he was arrested. The man sustained a scratch on his upper back, some scratches to his neck, and a cut above one of his eyes. 

We received a death or serious injury referral from the force. This became a complaint investigation after the man complained about the way he was treated. 

Our investigators examined the officers’ interactions with the man and whether the force they used was reasonable, necessary and proportionate. We also considered the complaints made by the man. 

Three officers were served with criminal letters for allegations of common assault. The officers attended criminal interviews and answered questions posed by our investigators. One of the officers left the force before we concluded our investigation. 

We decided to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS decided to pursue a charge of common assault. However, the CPS dropped the charges after considering an expert report. 

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

We suggested one officer undertake the reflective practice review process regarding acceptable levels of force. 

All charges against the man were dropped due to lack of evidence.

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 identified learning opportunities around the training provided to frontline police officers when working with police dog handlers and their dogs. We are currently in the consultation process to decide if this recommendation should be issued formally.