Stop and search, Camberwell – Metropolitan Police Service, May 2020
On 5 May 2020, a man was stopped while driving in Walworth Road, Camberwell on 5 May 2020 and a video from the incident was shared widely on social media. The driver and his car were searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act, and although handcuffs were not used it was suggested by one of the four officers present that they could be.
We began our independent investigation on 19 May 2020 after the man complained that the officers racially profiled him prior to the search, and that he was subsequently treated differently because of his race. The man believed that as he had previous interaction with the same officers, this initial encounter influenced the officers’ decision to search him. He also complained that the officers failed to observe social distancing rules.
Evidence gathered during our investigation included taking statements from the complainant, the officers involved and other witnesses. We also looked at body worn video (BWV) footage, and studied policing policies concerning stop and search, BWV and the use of personal protective equipment.
We also reviewed the officers’ previous stop and search records and the rationale provided by the officers for their actions.
We completed our investigation in May 2021. The evidence we gathered did not suggest the complainant was racially profiled. We found the decision to make the stop was based on local intelligence including knowledge of drug dealing and gang activity there. We confirmed through body worn video (BWV) that the officers did not know who was in the car before it was stopped, as it had tinted windows.
We determined 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 found no case to answer for misconduct for any of the officers. However, we did identify a number of performance issues where the officers’ behaviour had fallen short of public expectations. These included making or failing to challenge comments which, while not made within earshot of the complainant, could have been construed as disrespectful. Social distancing guidelines were breached by three officers during the incident and BWV was not used in accordance with policy.
The Metropolitan Police Service accepted that while these breaches did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action, the officers should be subject to reflective practice.
We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We recommended that three officers should attend a community stop and search event to understand the impact felt by those in the community who have been subjected to the tactic; have further equality and diversity training; and to further reflect on their conflict management and use of de-escalation tactics.
We did not identify any organisational learning, but the investigation was considered as part of a wider piece of work we did to study stop and search cases nationally.