Use of force during an arrest - West Yorkshire Police, April 2019

On 18 April 2019, two West Yorkshire Police (WYP) officers on mobile patrol in Leeds engaged in the pursuit of a BMW car. The pursuit continued for approximately one minute before the BMW came to a stop. The officers restrained and arrested the driver for several offences, including assaulting them during the restraint. The driver was treated in hospital for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries following the restraint and alleged that the officers had caused the injuries and that the force they used was excessive.

WYP referred the matter to us as is mandatory when someone is seriously injured after any contact with police. During our investigation we obtained evidence including dash camera footage and witness statements along with police incident logs and local and national policies and procedures. The driver declined to engage with us, so we were unable to obtain any evidence from him including any medical evidence to support his complaint. We also interviewed both officers. We compared the decisions and actions taken by the officers against relevant local and national policy.

We concluded that the officers had no case to answer in respect of their actions, however, there was an opportunity for reflection and learning for both officers in respect of a number of matters including the importance and necessity for appropriate radio communication with the control room during the pursuit, the use of the police car’s emergency equipment during the pursuit and also the use of body worn video cameras.

At the conclusion of our investigation we shared our report with WYP who agreed with our findings.