IPCC dismissed Dorset allegations
Dorset Police has welcomed a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which has found no evidence to support complaints of racial abuse and assault by an officer in his arrest of a motorist in Bournemouth.
Dorset Police has welcomed a report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which has found no evidence to support complaints of racial abuse and assault by an officer in his arrest of a motorist in Bournemouth.
Olufemi Ijebuode was stopped in his vehicle and arrested by a road policing unit officer in Shaftesbury Road, Charminster, Bournemouth, in April two years ago on suspicion of possessing a controlled drug and assaulting police officers.
A Dorset Police spokesman said: Dorset Police welcomes the findings of the IPCC investigation which found no evidence to support Mr Ijebuodes claims of racial abuse and assault concerning his arrest. Dorset Police voluntarily referred the complaint to the Commission which also found no evidence to support Mr Ijebuodes other complaints including irregularities in evidence and neglect of duty.
The Commission also found that the arresting officers record of stopping the public and issuing tickets to motorists did not show any evidence of bias against people from a visible non-white background.
The spokesman said that because of the judicial process – and so as not to prejudice the IPCC investigation – Dorset Police had been unable to comment in detail about Mr Ijebuodes allegations until now.
The spokesman said: As demonstrated in the recent Her Majestys Inspectorate of Police (HMIC) baseline assessment report, Dorset Police is one of the best performing forces in the country and has high standards. The IPCC investigation has established that the police officer acted entirely appropriately.
Dorset Police is always striving to improve its service to the public still further and the force takes any allegations of racism very seriously. Racism, in any form, is not and will not be tolerated, explained the spokesman.
The IPCC investigation was carried out by a senior investigator from Kent Police under the management of the Commission.
It was in March 2006 that the court case against Mr Ijebuode was dismissed after no evidence was offered. The district judge refused an earlier adjournment request made by Dorset Police because of the non-availability of the arresting officer.