Use of force and aftercare provided by officers – Cumbria Constabulary, December 2021

In December 2021, a man stated how a woman kicked him inside a bar, he followed her outside and took hold of her and that, as he could see police officers nearby, he shouted for them to come over. It appears, by the time a Cumbria Constabulary officer arrived, a further altercation involving the woman, her partner and the man was underway.

The officer attempted to disperse the altercation and in doing so used force on the man. He told the officer his leg had been broken. Other officers attended the scene, including one Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officer who was seconded to Cumbria Constabulary at the time. The man stated that he remained on the ground, because of his injury. He was taken to hospital by a friend where he received surgery for his injuries; he had sustained four leg fractures.

We investigated the man’s complaints that the Cumbria Constabulary officer used excessive force against him, without trying to establish what had happened and other officers who attended the scene did not provide him with any aftercare, once it was established that he sustained an injury.

We reviewed body worn video footage of the incident and obtained witness statements.

Our investigation concluded in July 2022.

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 advised a debrief or refresher style input should remind staff about when an IOPC referral is required in respect of Death or serious injury cases and the Post Incident Procedure.

We carefully considered whether there were any organisational 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.

In this case, we did not identify any organisational learning.