A POLICE officer who used excessive force during the restraint of a man in Bradford has been dismissed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out a review of West Yorkshire Police’s (WYP) handling of a complaint from a man who was unhappy about the level of force used to arrest him.
He alleged that an officer involved had stamped on his head.
The IOPC has since determined the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct.
The independent body said: “While WYP determined the officer should face disciplinary proceedings for potential misconduct, which carries a maximum sanction of a final written warning, we felt that an independently-chaired panel could find his actions amounted to gross misconduct.”
The complaint followed an incident in Bradford on December 1, 2021, when officers dealing with a disturbance called for urgent support from colleagues.
PC Cameron Lindley, who was based in Bradford, was among those to arrive at the scene, where officers were dealing with two members of the public.
He approached one of the men and assisted a colleague in bringing him to the ground.
While the man was face down on the ground, being restrained by two officers, PC Lindley applied force to the man’s head with the sole of his boot.
The purpose of the IOPC’s review is to determine if the force’s handling of a complaint is reasonable and proportionate, not a reinvestigation of the complaint itself.
After looking at evidence highlighted in the investigator’s report, the IOPC informed WYP that it disagreed with the finding that PC Lindley’s actions may amount to misconduct.
Disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct were recommended and the force agreed.
The misconduct hearing, arranged by WYP, concluded today (September 21).
It found PC Lindley breached the police standards of professional behaviour in respect of use of force, authority, respect and courtesy, and discreditable conduct.
They found his actions amounted to gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.
As a result, he has been barred from working in policing in future.
Sunny Bhalla. IOPC’s head of national operations, said: “Police officers routinely put themselves in harm’s way to protect members of the public and can use reasonable force if required to do that.
“However, they must use the minimum force necessary in the situation and be able to justify their actions. PC Lindley’s actions were dangerous, excessive and at odds with the training provided to police officers.
“While the vast majority of complaints are dealt with by police forces, the review system ensures complainants who are unhappy with the outcome can have their case independently scrutinised. Although we felt this complaint was thoroughly investigated, we disagreed with the proposed outcome and our input has ensured PC Lindley has been held fully accountable for his actions that day."
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