Written warning for GMP officer over use of force

At a misconduct hearing earlier this week the officer was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to his use of force.

The written warning relates to an incident in which the officer and a colleague were in an unmarked police vehicle in the Moss Side area of Manchester and witnessed the boy in a park involved in what they suspected was an exchange of drugs. After seeing the officers, the boy ran off.

After officers caught up with the boy and made two failed attempts to stop and search him, one of them used CS spray in the child’s face as he turned his head to look back while continuing to run away.

The case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) by the force after the boy’s father lodged a complaint. Its investigation was concluded in five months.

IOPC Regional Director Amanda Rowe said: “We found the force used by the officer in this case was neither reasonable nor proportionate and could have been avoided. We found no evidence the boy posed any immediate threat to police or the public and the officer’s conduct during the incident fell short of what would be expected of a serving officer.

“While no serious injury was caused to the child, we know interactions like this with police can have a lasting and damaging impact on public confidence in the police. Police officers are trained to deal with challenging situations and should only deploy CS spray when it is necessary, proportionate and reasonable.”