Local police rarely use force during arrests, states deputy chief constable

Deputy chief constable John Campbell was responding to the Independent Police Complaints Commission report into use of force published this week.

Mr Campbell said: “Thames Valley Police welcomes the publication of this report from the IPCC. It is important that the public can be confident that when one of our officers makes a decision to use reasonable force that they are acting in an appropriate and proportionate manner.

“Our officers undergo regular and rigorous training and assessment in the legal and practical aspects of using force and we incorporate into our training any lessons learnt from case studies.

He added: “Our officers are required to deal with conflict of varying degrees, and across the many thousands of incidents that respond to every year it is relatively rare that officers have to use force, and rarer still that the use of force is found to be unnecessary.

Where force is used, officers are required to make a record.

Mr Campbell said: “If applying the use of force results in actual bodily harm then we follow statutory guidance and refer ourselves to the IPCC for their consideration.”

If the IPCC or the force’s own Professional Standard department decides the level of force used amounts to misconduct, then disciplinary proceedings will be launched, said Mr Campbell.

The Thames Valley Policing & Crime Commissioner’s Complaints, Ethics and Integrity Panel, which is drawn from members of the public from across the force area, also reviews complaints received regarding police use of force to check that they are being handled fairly and appropriately.