Update: Investigation following an incident in Accrington, Lancashire

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the actions of two Lancashire Constabulary officers during an incident in Accrington continues.

On 17 April, officers from the force approached four members of the public on Coach Road.

Footage of the exchange, between two officers and one of the men, was widely circulated on social media. As a result, on 20 April, Lancashire Constabulary voluntarily referred the matter. We started an independent investigation and subsequently received a complaint about the conduct of the officers which will be considered as part of that investigation.

One officer, who is alleged to have abused his powers, has been notified that he is under investigation for gross misconduct.

The second officer has been notified that he is under investigation for misconduct for an allegation that he did not challenge or report the conduct of the first officer.

The serving of a notice is not an implication of guilt, but to inform an officer that their conduct is under investigation.

IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe.

“I recognise that this incident has caused concern in the local community and, understandably, has raised questions about the conduct of the officers.

“It is our role to independently investigate the matter to ensure the officers are accountable for their actions and to identify if any broader lessons could be learned.

“This work is underway, and is progressing well. Lancashire Constabulary, and the two officers, are cooperating with our enquiries.

“We have spoken to the man who was stopped by the officers, and we will keep him regularly updated on this investigation.”

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UPDATE:

During our investigation, which was completed in December, we obtained accounts from the two police officers involved in the incident as well as the complainant and one other man who was there at the time. We reviewed the video footage and a number of other police witnesses provided statements. Neither of the police officers were wearing a body-worn video camera.

We found that when police arrived, they found themselves blocked by a van and a car. The complainant was one of four men present at the time who were requested to move the vehicles. Only part of the interaction between the police officer and the complainant was caught on camera.

We found one officer had a case to answer for misconduct. At a misconduct meeting in May he accepted breaching the standards of professional behaviour in respect of: integrity; discreditable conduct; authority, respect and courtesy; use of force; and duties and responsibilities. He was given a written warning.

The other officer whose conduct we investigated was found to have no case to answer.