Use of force on man who resisted stop and search - West Midlands Police, February 2022

On 15 February 2022, West Midlands Police (WMP) were deployed to a declared firearms incident following a call from a member of the public that a gang of men with machetes were chasing him.

Officers conducted searches of men within the immediate vicinity under Section 1 PACE 1984.
Officers interacted with a member of the public at the scene who refused to be searched and body-worn video footage showed that this man was non-compliant and actively resisted officers.

The man was taken to the floor and, due to his level of continual resistance, a police dog was deployed who subsequently bit the man, causing an injury to his leg.

Officers provided medical assistance to the man at the scene before taking him to hospital, where he was further treated.

The man submitted a complaint to the IOPC on 9 March 2022 which formed part of our investigation.

As part of the investigation, we gathered and reviewed all relevant material which included BWV footage, incident logs, medical records and statements. We also obtained a statement from the injured male and further statements from the officers directly involved.

The dog handler was treated as a witness throughout the investigation as there was no evidence that indicated he had committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

The investigation concluded that officers had acted lawfully and the force used in relation to the male was necessary, justified and proportionate.

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. 

In this case, the investigation has not identified any learning.