Police officer disciplined for behaviour likely to provoke prisoner

A police officer has been disciplined after a Police Ombudsman investigation found that his actions in dealing with a person detained in police custody were likely to provoke the prisoner and lead to a confrontation.

A minor confrontation took place when the officer, a Constable, went with two other officers to seize clothing from a prisoner suspected of being involved in an arson attack on a house in Limavady in July 2007.

However, after seizing all the required clothing for forensic analysis, the officer remained in the cell for a further 15 -18 seconds. During this time the prisoner approached him in an aggressive manner, forcing the Constable to use force to prevent himself being assaulted.

The Chief Constable of the PSNI referred the incident to the Police Ombudsman for independent investigation, after a Police Inspector on duty expressed concerns about the officer's actions.

The Police Ombudsman concluded that there was no valid reason for the officer to have remained in the man's cell after seizing his clothing.

Mr Al Hutchinson said that because the officer had created circumstances through his own actions in which further confrontation was likely, his subsequent use of force to protect himself could only be viewed as avoidable.

 

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