Use of force to arrest a man - Merseyside Police, March 2022

On the evening of 6 March 2022, police were called to a fight that was taking place between three men on Bridge Street in St Helens. 

Police arrived and arrested a man who had hit another man with a bike lock. Physical force and incapacitant spray were used to arrest and detain the man.

The incident was captured on Council CCTV. A copy of the CCTV was provided to Merseyside Police. 

An officer who had used physical force during the arrest filmed the footage on his work mobile device and sent this via WhatsApp to a colleague.

During the investigation, we reviewed CCTV and body-worn video footage of the incident, listened to the radio transmissions and calls to the police, obtained statements from several police and civilian witnesses and interviewed the officer who had used force during the arrest. The officer’s mobile device was also seized and examined. 

The officer’s actions were analysed in line with his training and relevant local and national policies and procedures. 

Our investigation concluded in August 2022. We found an officer had a case to answer for misconduct. 

The officer attended a misconduct meeting where he was given a final written warning. 

We carefully considered whether there were any 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.

We did not identify any organisational learning.