Gwent Police have defended an officer’s actions as “lawful and proportionate” after a video showing him knee a man four times while he is lying on the ground emerged on Facebook.
The video shows a man being restrained and arrested by three officers in Caerphilly town centre.
While lying on his side on the floor one officer knees him four times from behind.
A bystander pleads with officers not to carry on kneeing the man, but is ignored.
The footage was originally posted on YouTube on June 1 2014 but was shared on the Facebook page ‘The Welsh Bible’ on May 28 this year.
It captured the arrest of a 38-year-old man from Bargoed on May 9 2014. The man was charged and convicted of being drunk and disorderly and for possession of cannabis.
A Gwent Police spokesperson said: “Having been made aware of the footage in June 2014 the Gwent Police Professional Standards Department launched an investigation into the conduct and actions of a police constable from the Caerphilly Local Policing Area.
“The standards investigation was comprehensive and took into consideration a number of factors including footage captured by the officer’s body worn camera which recorded the whole incident as opposed to only the arrest element. As part of the investigation the person who was being arrested in the footage was visited and spoken to. He did not wish to make any complaint.
“It was concluded that the body worn camera footage corroborated the officer’s account of his actions. The investigation decided that there had been no breach of the standards of professional behaviour and the officer’s actions were lawful and proportionate.”
The law states responsibility for using force rests on the individual officer, but they should consider whether force is needed to uphold the law, whether there is an immediate threat and whether other means can be used, in this case to make an arrest.
If force is used it should be proportionate.
A Gwent Police spokesperson added that force was needed as officers were “in the process of restraining him”.
I would disagree in the strongest terms. If we,the public,were to do that to them we’d get nicked.
I would disagree in the strongest terms. If we,the public,were to do that to them we’d get nicked.
Police officers standing on the bonnet of a pensioners Car smashing windscreens, engaging in sexual intercourse whilst on firearms duty, tripping to Barry Island and Porthcawl whilst ` patrolling Blackwood Town Centre(SIC), now, carrying out a perfectly legal proportionate assault.
All proportionate actions according to Gwent Police Movers and Shakers.
Whilst the public may question the reasoning behind such decisions and totally fail to understand them we have to accept them, but, it appears to be a growing catalogue of `behaviour` which would find citizens locked up for.
Police officers standing on the bonnet of a pensioners Car smashing windscreens, engaging in sexual intercourse whilst on firearms duty, tripping to Barry Island and Porthcawl whilst ` patrolling Blackwood Town Centre(SIC), now, carrying out a perfectly legal proportionate assault.
All proportionate actions according to Gwent Police Movers and Shakers.
Whilst the public may question the reasoning behind such decisions and totally fail to understand them we have to accept them, but, it appears to be a growing catalogue of `behaviour` which would find citizens locked up for.
I have always thought physical punishment is needed in a few cases. I am not sure of what the man did but if he was drunk and disorderly, a drug addict or a criminal I support the police officer’s actions. If he was innocent, sack the officer.
I have always thought physical punishment is needed in a few cases. I am not sure of what the man did but if he was drunk and disorderly, a drug addict or a criminal I support the police officer’s actions. If he was innocent, sack the officer.
We didnt see the whole video so its difficult to comment. I have however seen the police try to arrest difficult people who will not be reasonable. They wont listen to reason and they lash out at the police. The police should be trained to deal with this, and the use of force is fair enough, but this copper has made himself look bad with his lack of restraint in my opinion.
We didnt see the whole video so its difficult to comment. I have however seen the police try to arrest difficult people who will not be reasonable. They wont listen to reason and they lash out at the police. The police should be trained to deal with this, and the use of force is fair enough, but this copper has made himself look bad with his lack of restraint in my opinion.