Following the dismissal of PC Lorne Castle, the reaction of the public has been very divided.
Some argue that he was well within his rights to behave like he did, and others side with his colleagues who reported him, who considered that it was not how a police officer should behave in a uniform.
For those who have not seen the incident, please judge for yourselves:
Should all police officers be allowed to lose it like PC Castle did, or should they adopt a different approach like his colleagues did?
The following is a statement from the Dorset Police Federation:
‘Dorset Police Federation notes today that Dorset Police has chosen to release a carefully selected video clip, which formed part of the evidence in relation to the gross misconduct case against PC Lorne Castle.
The force has inexplicably chosen to do this without also providing context or balance and in the full knowledge that an appeal by the officer may be pending.
The reason for the release appears primarily to be an attempt by Dorset Police to manage some of the public criticism the force has received following the decision to dismiss the officer, rather than a genuine desire to properly inform the public.
As we have previously mentioned, we are extremely concerned about the implications of the outcome of this case to other hard-working front-line officers who in difficult, dynamic and dangerous situations have to use force to protect themselves and the public.
The clip released by Dorset Police fails to show the double-bladed knife which falls from the clothing of the suspect at the end of the arrest and that potentially could have been used to inflict serious harm on the officer, the officers’ colleagues or a random member of the public.
It fails to mention the context that – in an early morning briefing – the officer was warned to be extra cautious due to a mass brawl in the town centre just two nights before, a brawl involving youths with machetes and knives, some of the offenders for which were still outstanding.
It is also relevant that many aspects of the arrest and the force used by the officer were deemed to have been justified, proportionate and reasonable by the independent panel.
Over the last few years, the residents of Bournemouth will have been alarmed by the number of tragic, fatal incidents involving knives and senior commanders in Dorset Police have rightly encouraged officers to be robust in attempting to deal with it.
Officers would rather have to use no force at all but unfortunately the risks to officers up and down the country when dealing with potentially violent suspects are real and ever present. We remind that there are 125 assaults on police officers every day in England and Wales.
Dorset Police Federation has never suggested that the actions of Lorne Castle were without fault – and the officer admitted misconduct in relation to breaching the standards of professional behaviour relating to Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Conduct and Use of Force.
But to conclude, our view is that the showing of selective clips of an officer’s Body Worn Video is not a useful or responsible to way to properly inform the public about an incident – and only serves to entice the public into making judgements without having the benefit of all the facts.
This is not fair or just.’
Do you agree with them, or are they representing a viewpoint that would merely exacerbate tensions already deep-rooted within our communities?
Let us know below.
