G20 death: instant dismissal for PC Simon Harwood

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has said it has made significant changes to its vetting procedures after PC Simon Harwood was dismissed with immediate effect following a misconduct hearing.

PC Harwood, who was cleared earlier this year of the manslaughter of Ian Tomlinson in 2009 during the G20 protests in central London, was found guilty of gross misconduct earlier this week.

During the hearing, PC Harwood admitted two of the three allegations against him and accepted that he struck Mr Tomlinson on his left thigh with his baton, and that he pushed the newspaper vendor to the ground – but he did not admit his actions caused or contributed to Mr Tomlinson`s death.

However, the panel found that being a member of the MPS, PC Harwood did not reach the requirements contained within the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

The use of the force described was found to be not necessary, proportionate or reasonable in the circumstances. In addition, the panel did not consider the allegation that such dangerous actions inadvertently caused or contributed to the death of Mr Tomlinson.

In line with police regulations the panel has considered instant dismissal as the appropriate sanction to be imposed.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Maxine de Brunner said: “We must remember on April 1, 2009, Ian Tomlinson lost his life. I take full responsibility for Simon Harwood and I would like to offer my apologies and condolences to Mr Tomlinson’s family.

“Today’s hearing has resulted in the maximum penalty that was ever available to the panel – dismissal due to gross misconduct. This leaves no ambiguity as to how the MPS views the actions of Simon Harwood. The detailed evidence of this case has been heard in public at both the inquest and also the criminal trial.

“This panel’s role today was to decide whether Simon Harwood had committed gross misconduct and, if so, what was the appropriate outcome. It has taken less than a day for the panel to make the decision that he should be dismissed without notice. Every police officer is accountable for their actions, whatever the situation. The misconduct process is the forum for holding officers to account when they do not meet the standards expected of them.”

She added that PC Harwood does not reflect the professionalism of the majority of officers working in public order, often in the most difficult of circumstances.

The MPS acknowledged that it had made mistakes in the way PC Harwood was vetted including how he was able to resign from the MPS while facing disciplinary proceedings for previous alleged misconduct towards a member of the public. In addition, the 45-year-old officer was then re-employed by the force, first in a civilian role and later as a constable, which the Independent Police Complaints Commission described as “simply staggering”, leading to questions about the force’s vetting procedures.

The MPS said it has since made significant changes to its vetting processes. All applicants, including officers applying to become police staff as well those re-joining or transferring from other police forces, are now formally vetted and this involves a full misconduct intelligence check.

However, despite PC Harwood’s dismissal, members of Mr Tomlinson’s family said it plans to take the case further.

Paul King, Mr Tomlinson’s stepson, said the family would continue its fight until someone admits liability for his death.

He said: “The conflicting evidence from the inquest and the criminal courts is still to be resolved. We aren’t going to give up yet. We’ll now take this to a civil court where we’ll try and find final judgements on who killed Ian.”