Latest news with #useOfForce
Telegraph
5 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Police afraid to use force after ‘woke witch hunt'
Police are 'concerned' about using force while making arrests after a 'woke witch hunt' resulted in a decorated officer being dismissed for gross misconduct. Dorset Police Federation has called for 'urgent clarification' from senior officers about the implications of using force, including by those 'who make genuine mistakes when doing so'. It comes after Lorne Castle was dismissed for behaving aggressively and using unreasonable force during an incident in Bournemouth in January last year. Castle is alleged to have told a youth who was found to be in possession of a knife to 'stop screaming like a b---h' and threatened to 'smash him' before putting his hands around the boy's neck. Campaigners have since hit out at Dorset Police, calling the force 'woke' and claiming Mr Castle had been 'thrown under a bus'. Dorset Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers such as Mr Castle, said its members were now doubting themselves over whether they should manhandle suspects to overpower them. A spokesman said: 'Dorset Police Federation has been overwhelmed by the response by our members since the outcome of this case – colleagues are understandably concerned about what the outcome of this case means for them and their use of force. 'It must be said that we note the strength of feeling from members of the public in Dorset over this incident as well. 'We are seeking urgent clarification from Dorset Police about the implications of using force for officers, including those who make genuine mistakes when doing so. 'We are also keen to review the sustainability of our training provisions around the use of force to ensure that it is fit for purpose. We want to ensure that our members feel that they will be supported when using force lawfully and proportionately.' 'Woke and weak agenda' In a decade as a PC, Mr Castle was twice commended for saving the lives of members of the public. In 2023, he put his own safety at risk to rescue a woman from being swept away in a flooded river. In 2021, he was made Dorset Police's officer of the year for his 'outstanding service' and for undertaking every shift 'with the personal commitment to make a difference and do the right thing'. At the time of the arrest last year, the youth was wanted in connection with an assault on an elderly member of the public on Bournemouth seafront and for being part of a gang attack at a McDonald's restaurant. As three officers struggled to restrain him and handcuff him, a three-inch knife fell out of his pocket. One end was a lock knife and the other a Stanley knife. The teenager claimed it was for use at his work. Campaigners have hit out at Dorset Police over the officer's dismissal, with a petition on calling for him to be reinstated. Some have also called for the Home Secretary to intervene. Chris Amey, who served in the police for 30 years, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to pay Mr Castle's wages. He accused Dorset Police of pursuing a 'woke and weak' agenda. Mr Amey, a retired chief inspector, said: 'Dorset Police have completely lost touch with reality and the community they serve. 'If you have been following this case you will see a significant overwhelming positive response from huge numbers of the general public, both via social media and in person to Lorne himself. 'It is fantastic to see that this woke and weak agenda will no longer be tolerated. I couldn't stand by and watch a good man and his family suffer at the hands of what can only be described as a 'witch hunt'. 'The decisions made in this case have serious and unprecedented consequences for all serving officers looking to proactively stop and search or arrest offenders in possession of bladed weapons. Are they all now expected to go up to such offenders and politely ask them if they'd kindly hand over anything nasty they might have on them?' 'Unbelievable amount of public support' He added: 'The Home Office should be looking at this, and if I was the Home Secretary I would be really concerned about what's going on at Dorset Police at the moment. It was an abysmal decision to dismiss him. All common sense has gone out of the window.' Mr Castle, a married father of three, has thanked people for the 'unbelievable amount of public support'. He said: 'I can't say how much the messages and public support have meant. It's been a tough time, it's been hard on me and my family. I'm OK, I feel free for the first time since I joined this job. Who knows what the future holds, but I had to say thank you.' A spokesman for Dorset Police said: 'An independent panel reviewed all the evidence in relation to this incident and found PC Lorne Castle had committed gross misconduct, having breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy, conduct and use of force after he behaved aggressively and used unreasonable force while arresting a 15-year-old boy in Bournemouth town centre. 'We continue to support our colleagues where they use force in a lawful and proportionate way and the standards of behaviour, that the public expect, are upheld. We are working hard to maintain and improve trust and public confidence in policing and tackling unethical or unacceptable behaviour remains a Force priority.'
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Calgary police see decrease in officer-public interactions, use of force: report
Social Sharing There's been a drop in the use of force by Calgary police officers, suggests a report presented to the Calgary Police Commission by the Calgary Police Service on Wednesday. According to the report, police used force in 818 incidents last year. It's a decrease of approximately nine per cent from 2023's count of 901 cases, as well as around eight per cent lower than the five-year average of 893 incidents. The numbers go hand-in-hand with an overall drop in officer-public interactions in 2024, with officers making public contact 574,246 times last year compared to 588,407 in 2023. Of those nearly 575,000 officer-public interactions, force was used by officers in 0.14 per cent of responses, or one in every 702 cases. Mount Royal University criminal justice professor Doug King highlighted two factors he says are likely behind the recent decrease in use of force by officers. "My inclination is to think that there may have been a service-wide directive indicating, 'Hey, don't be doing this unnecessarily, make sure you have some reasons for doing it," he said. "It could also have been a change in police officer training that they were last year being trained to do it, and this year they were being told, 'Well, that probably wasn't the right tactic.'" The Calgary Police Service report indicates that "de-escalation communication skills and policy compliance continue to be emphasized through training, use of force reporting review and feedback." It also states that an officer safety and tactics training researcher with a background in psychology, human performance and behaviour was recruited at the Chief Crowfoot Learning Centre, a training centre for Calgary police officers, in 2024. Responses to property crimes such as break-and-enters and vehicle theft decreased this year, while violent crimes including assaults and domestic violence increased from both 2023 and the five-year average. The four uses of force most frequently executed by police last year were dynamic takedowns (335 cases), stuns/strikes (184), Tasers (162) and leg restraints (102). Police service dogs made contact with people 49 times, the same number as in 2023, while firearms were fired four times and only one tire deflation device was deployed. King criticized the report's failure to discuss high-profile cases involving the Calgary Police Service in 2024, including its response to an encampment at the University of Calgary last May and the death of Jon Wells, a Blood Tribe member and accomplished rodeo competitor who died in police custody in September. "It would be more useful if the Calgary Police Service was a little bit more proactive in these kinds of higher profile incidents," said King, acknowledging that the circumstances around Wells' death remain unclear and are still being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. When asked about those cases after the presentation, interim police chief Katie McLellan said she didn't "want to speak about any specific case" but highlighted the work being done by the Calgary Police Service to engage with different communities. "It's for us to reflect and ask the why, the how come, the what, and how can we train better? How can we be better? How can we change our policies, and what kind of additional engagement that we need to have to ensure that everyone is kept safe?" The report indicates that the highest percentage of people that police used force against last year were white (43 per cent), followed by members of the Indigenous (18 per cent), Black (11 per cent) and non-Indigenous, non-Black communities (nine per cent). While white people were the subjects of the highest percentage of incidents, the report highlights disproportionate representation of non-white people in cases involving use of force: the percentage of Indigenous and Black peoples in those figures is substantially greater than their representation in the city's general population.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Erie County lawmaker, prisoner rights groups weigh in on use-of-force case
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An Erie County lawmaker and prison rights groups are weighing in on an alleged use-of-force case that WIVB News 4 shared earlier this week. Erie County Legislator Taisha St. Jean Tard is leading the charge to reestablish an Erie County Correctional Special Advisory Board that she hopes will increase transparency and provide more oversight and accountability. It's an issue that she has been pursuing since entering office in January. 'When I saw the video, it really made me uncomfortable and sad,' St. Jean Tard said. 'That's one of the reasons why I decided to have this correctional advisory board. This is one of the main reasons, to oversee incidents like this. So, this is why I'm pushing it. I'm really going to have this board ready to go in June because I don't want these incidents to continue.' The Erie County Sheriff's Office has refuted the allegations in the lawsuit, saying 'the actions taken by staff were in line with policy and procedure.' News 4 reached out to the Erie County Sheriff's Office Friday, who said 'the pervasive and intentional introduction of contraband to our correctional settings is a top priority for our staff. If we miss something getting in, the results can be catastrophic.' Cash is now suing Erie County and several of the correctional officers involved in the incident from January of last year which, according to the lawsuit, resulted in a broken tooth that required oral surgery. 'It is just beyond the pale,' said Steven Hart, an organizer with the Western New York Halt Solidarity Campaign. 'It is so unacceptable and so unnecessary, so gratuitous what was done to him.' Hart feels the officer who pried Cash's mouth open with the flashlight should be disciplined. 'I do think that firing would be appropriate,' Hart said. 'That we shouldn't tolerate behavior like that within a jail or prison.' That's a sentiment that's shared by Jerome Wright, co-director of the New York State Jails Justice Network, who's been through something similar. He told us how incidents like this can have a ripple effect when it comes time for that person to reenter society. 'This is what we're sending back to the streets,' Wright said. 'That's not public safety. How are you making the public safe by traumatizing people, brutalizing them and then sending them out? How is that making you safe?' That's why Hart believes it's imperative that accountability and oversight are a priority moving forward. 'I think we have to address not just how bad this event was, but what the root cause is,' Hart said. 'Which is the lack of oversight, of transparency, of accountability in our … prisons and jails in New York State.' Rob Petree is an anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of his work by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- The Independent
Officer's decision to spray amputee, 92, was ‘consistent with training'
A police officer's decision to spray a 92-year-old amputee who threatened to stab care home staff was 'consistent with training', a court has been told. Pc Stephen Smith, 51, faces trial alongside his colleague Pc Rachel Comotto, 36, for allegedly using excessive force on Donald Burgess during an incident at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. Mr Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident, during which he was sprayed with an incapacitant and tasered, and later contracted Covid. He died 22 days later aged 93. The care home had called 999 after Mr Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, reportedly grabbed a knife and threatened to stab staff. Smith previously told the jury sitting at Southwark Crown Court he tried to convince Mr Burgess to drop the knife and warned him he could tasered before deciding to spray Pava synthetic pepper spray into the pensioner's face. Ian Mills, a use of force adviser for the police and expert for the defence, told the court on Thursday: 'That would be consistent with training based on the officer's perception of the threat at the time. 'His (Pc Smith's) use of force, though difficult to watch, was generally in accordance with his training.' Mr Mills said: 'There is the perceived threat of the knife, they (the officers) tried … grabbing the knife, which failed, they tried with threatening Pava, which is not getting a result. 'He (Pc Smith) then states his intention (to use Pava) to ensure the safety of staff and the safety of other residents at the care home.' When Mr Burgess did not drop the knife after he was sprayed, Pc Smith deployed a baton to 'try and knock the knife out of Mr Burgess's hand', the officer previously told the court. Commenting on this incident, Mr Mills agreed the officer used his baton with 'minimal force'. He continued: 'His use of the baton was also in general accordance with training based on the circumstances. 'These choices should be based on the information the officers have at that time and the officers' honestly held beliefs at the time of the incident, even if they are later found to be wrong. ' People are unpredictable, techniques are unreliable, so officers have to adapt to the situation. 'They make split-second decisions based on their perception of the circumstances whilst in fast-moving situations and without the benefit of hindsight.' Mr Mills added the two officers made a 'tactical error' in failing to 'fully explore avenues of information before entering the room' – notably by talking to the care home staff about Mr Burgess. He said: 'There was an opportunity on arrival to the scene to further assess the incident – for example, the medical history and usual behaviour of the subject.' Earlier this week, jurors heard that Smith allegedly emptied a full canister of synthetic Pava spray into Mr Burgess's face and struck him with a baton, with Comotto deploying her Taser – all within one minute and 23 seconds of entering his room. On Thursday, Smith denied this and said he used a 'short burst' of incapacitant on Mr Burgess. Mr Mills seemed to agree with this assessment, stating the can of Pava was used for a total of 2 seconds on Mr Burgess, when it allows for 6 seconds of use at full capacity. Smith denies two counts of assault, relating to his use of Pava spray and a baton, while Comotto denies one count for discharging her Taser. Prosecutors say the force used against Mr Burgess – who had been reportedly threatening staff with a serrated cutlery knife and telling them he would 'take pleasure' in murdering them – was excessive and unnecessary given his age and physical condition. The trial continues.
CTV News
18-05-2025
- CTV News
Demotion of B.C. officer who leaked documents to media was ‘incorrect,' review finds
The Victoria Police Department says it has released race-based use-of-force data for a six-year period after being ordered by the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner to share the statistics in November 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
