The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has released a statement following its controversial decision to launch an investigation into two of the Metropolitan Police officers who responded to the Streatham knife attacker.
The two officers are being investigated owing to a road traffic collision which took place as the officers rushed to help their colleagues who were dealing with a male who was armed with a knife and who was stabbing members of the public.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the IOPC said:
“We are conducting an independent investigation into a road traffic incident involving a Metropolitan Police car which collided with two vehicles while responding to the terror attack in Streatham on Sunday 2nd February 2020. Two members of the public and officers sustained injuries. The members of the public were taken to hospital for checks and discharged.
“Our independent scrutiny of police actions, particularly when people are injured, is a critical part of maintaining public confidence – even if officers are responding to a major incident.
“Our assessment of the officers’ driving as potentially amounting to gross misconduct was agreed by the Metropolitan Police Service.
“A criminal investigation does not mean that criminal charges will necessarily follow. Misconduct notices do not imply guilt but are to inform the officer that their behaviour and conduct are under investigation and the level of severity. Such notices are not judgemental in any way.
“On Friday 28th February we served notices of investigation for dangerous driving and gross misconduct on the officer driving the vehicle involved in the collision and on the driver of a marked police vehicle which was in close proximity to the unmarked vehicle but not involved in the collision.
“This decision was not taken lightly and is based on the evidence we have seen and analysed so far. This includes in-car camera footage and GPS from both police vehicles. We have also considered a statement made by the officer involved and members of the public who witnessed the collision.
“Due to the collision, one of the police vehicles didn’t make it to the scene of the attack”.
Responding to the initial announcement of the investigation being carried out against the officers, Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said:
“The public will be appalled when they hear that brave police officers responding to a terrorist attack can be treated in such a manner.
“What kind of message does this send? These officers and their colleagues put their lives on the line that day to protect the public. Now potentially their careers are on the line. It’s absurd. A complete joke.
“Our colleagues did not know what danger they were travelling towards as the information emerged in real time about stabbings and threats of a suicide vest and explosives. Yet without hesitation they drove towards that danger. Because that’s what police officers do.
“And yet now their careers are at risk as the hindsight brigade decide to justify their existence. These people need to understand the split-second and dynamic decisions police officers have to take.”
Ken called on the IOPC and its investigators to have some “empathy and understanding of the incredibly difficult and dangerous job police officers’ undertake”.
He added: “No one is saying that police officers should not be scrutinised or that their actions should not be accountable – but the last thing officers responding to a terrorist attack should be worrying about is whether their prompt response and bravery will put their livelihoods in danger.
“I am rarely astonished, but this is truly astonishing.
“We are, of course, supporting our colleagues at this very difficult time and call on the IOPC to think again about what they are doing and what message their actions send to police officers. And importantly to the public we serve and protect.”
Find us in the new Google News App – search for ‘Emergency Services News’ and then click on the ‘star’ symbol to follow ESN.
CLICK here to join our Emergency Services News community on Facebook.
Our social media group/community is open to both the public and emergency services personnel.
It is also a great place to share any emergency services related content (such as videos) which you have filmed.
If you have a story or video that you would like us to cover/share, then you can contact our team via contact@emergency-services.news
We also cover stories which relate to the NHS, the armed forces and the security services.
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
This is an utter disgrace that the officers are being treated this way!!!
Best solution do away our armed forces & police etc.
Britain will be totally lawless, because that is the way it is heading.
God help us all then!
These people do an amazing job!
They are treated with no respect from government down.
GIVE THEM A BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@
Who investigates the IOPC for abuse of process, unlawful arrests and more in their investigations
I think the support for the Police officers involved is shown in the narrative above. Those officers were putting their lives on the line and at the time of the accident were rushing into what was their unknown. Civilian motorists can often get in the way of emergency vehicles and the emergency drivers do bloody well to avoid them. On this occasion they didn’t quite make it. Lets commend them for their efforts not condemn them for something they couldn’t avoid
Sounds like the IOPC are a bunch of liberal jobsworths making front line Police Officers’ already difficult jobs, nearly impossible. Why not just tie one of their hands behind their backs and be done with it? Prats!!!
The IOPC are between a rock and a hard place here, so lets step back a little and consider what happens if any of the other Emergency Service’s vehicles is involved in a collision, it’s investigated, by the Police, and a file submitted to the CPS for consideration for prosecution if any offence has taken place. The IOPC’s job in this case is to INDEPENDANTLY investigate the Police officers involved and their actions, the Police investigating the Police doesn’t always work, historically some officers didn’t do a through job investigating other officers damaging the publics trust. If the IOPC find there’s no case to be made or answer that’s far more defensible in the court of public opinion and reaffirms the Peelian Principles.
Since all of the cuts to the Police, you hardly ever see a traffic car, so motorists are able to drive like imbeciles and get away with it, some of them should not even be on the road, they have no spatial awareness
so colliding with a police car is no surprise
just get the car fixed and back on the road , and make them buy doughnuts for the shift and restore moral, they didnt hesitate to answer that call, and it could have been far far worse