Complaints regarding arrest and detention - Metropolitan Police Service, November 2017

In August 2017 Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) arrested a woman and restrained her using handcuffs. She was subsequently taken to custody and interviewed in the presence of an appropriate adult. She was released the same day after receiving a caution. She attended hospital two days later and was diagnosed with a fractured wrist.

In November 2017 the woman’s mother made a complaint regarding her daughter’s arrest and detention, including about the force used during arrest, whether her daughter was fit to be detained and interviewed in custody, and her medical care while in detention. The woman’s parents also raised concerns that the appropriate adult used during their daughter’s interview was unsuitable.

During the investigation, our investigators interviewed and took statements from several witnesses and examined officers’ body-worn video footage and CCTV footage. In addition they analysed relevant material such as airwave transmissions, the initial call and the computer-aided dispatch system.

Evidence indicated that the officers’ use of force had been reasonable in order to effect the woman’s arrest. On the balance of probabilities, the woman’s wrist injury had been caused by her actions when she rotated her wrists within the handcuffs, and not by unreasonable force used by the officers. Evidence also indicated that the woman did not mention any wrist injury when she was seen by a healthcare professional or later when in her cell. Although the appropriate adult who was present during the woman’s interview was not the one she had chosen, we found no evidence that the woman had been disadvantaged as a result.

After a full investigation, and based on the evidence available, we did not uphold five of the six complaints made by the woman’s mother.

However, we found clear evidence that the woman had informed one of the officers that she was due her medication. There was no evidence of any further regard to this following her consultation with the healthcare professional. We therefore upheld the complaint that the woman had not been provided with her prescription medication while detained by the MPS in custody. However, as we have no investigation jurisdiction over healthcare professionals employed by the MPS, no further action was taken.

We completed our investigation in August 2018.