A police officer’s treatment after he was hauled to a disciplinary hearing because he knocked down a suspected moped mugger was labelled “an absolute travesty” today.
PC Edwin Sutton, who said he wanted to protect the public from a high-speed chase, faced the sack from the Met Police.
He was accused of breaching professional standards by using a “dangerous” method to stop the teenager – suspected of pinching a handbag – when he drove into the moped’s path.
The 49-year-old road policing officer moved his marked car into the path of the moped being ridden by a 17-year-old boy – named only as ‘Mr G’ – in East Finchley in May 2017 to stop him speeding off.
Although the teenager suffered “serious injuries” when he flew off his bike the disciplinary panel found today that none of allegations against PC Sutton were proven and he acted “conscientiously” in the circumstances.
In the wake of the officer’s two-year ordeal the head of the Police Federation in London slammed the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) and said that PC Sutton has been through “hell and back” since the incident.
Ken Marsh said: “I’m over the moon for him because he’s been through hell and back over the past two years for doing his job.
“Why are they putting our colleagues in this position? This was a policy of the IOPC.
“It should never have come to this.
“Going forward we need legislation put in place in which it’s very clear for all my colleagues to go out and do their jobs.
“If not it will get to the point where we are not going out and protecting the public anymore. I don’t want to see that nor do my colleagues.
“But we need to be looked after and protected when we are just doing our jobs.
“I’m all for transparency but it has to be an equal playing field and not a witch hunt directed by the IOPC . It’s an absolute travesty.”
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/politics/why-are-the-capitals-police-coming-under-attack-from-all-quarters/02/09/