Police officer who tasered Judah Adunbi cleared of misconduct

Avon and Somerset’s chief constable has urged the police and local communities to continue to work together following the conclusion of a misconduct hearing against the officer who tasered a respected elder.

PC Claire Boddie was cleared of misconduct after a two-day hearing at the force’s Portishead HQ this week.

Race campaigner Desmond Brown has called the outcome disappointing and says it sets back progress that had been made in improving relations and serves to reinforce the black community’s lack of trust in the police.

Race relations campaigner and community elder Judah Adunbi

Judah Adunbi was walking his dog in Easton in January 2017 when he was targeted by the officer in a case of mistaken identity and tasered in the face. Video footage of the incident sparked a campaign to get justice for the former race relations adviser.

Speaking after the misconduct hearing, chief constable Andy Marsh, expressed his deep regret about the incident and distress it caused, but said it’s important to “create a learning environment rather than fall back into a blame culture”.

Justice for Judah protesters outside court

Reacting to the hearing’s conclusion, Brown, who is chair of Bristol’s Commission for Race Equality, said: “I was not surprised by the verdict, but I was disappointed. I have been working with Andy Marsh and I think we were making a lot of progress, I’m very saddened by this result because it sets it back quite a bit.

“It has reinforced the community’s lack of trust in the police.”

He named other incidents, including the arrest of Labour councillor Afzal Shar in another case of mistaken identity, and said these isolated incidents form part of a pattern.

Brown is not placing blame and says he will continue to work with institutions, but believes that the system is flawed and has to overcome hundreds of years of institutional racism.

He added: “Until it’s as important for the police and the wider white community as it is to us, nothing will change.”

Andy Marsh says he will take all necessary steps to make sure the incident doesn’t happen again

In a lengthy statement, Marsh said that mistakes had been made and will be learnt from as he stressed a commitment to improving representation in the police force.

“This was a very difficult situation and I clearly wish it had never happened. It’s always regretful when cases of genuine mistaken identity occur and we’ll take all the necessary steps to make sure this doesn’t happen.

“The initial incident, subsequent court case and misconduct proceedings have had a profound impact on all of us, especially PC Boddie. The decision to clear her of misconduct was made by a panel of experts, led by an independent chair, following a hearing held in public.

“I know we make mistakes, everyone does; we’re all human. We’re continuing to work against a backdrop of increasing demand, escalating complexity of crime and rising levels of vulnerability and need. These aren’t excuses, it’s just important to understand the context around the pressures we’re facing.

“I believe it’s important to create a learning environment rather than fall back into a blame culture. There’s a difference between mistakes and misconduct and we have to learn from both.

“Police and communities must continue to work in unity to create strong, positive and progressive neighbourhoods.”

He spoke of the importance of fostering trust in police so they can use the powers available to keep people safe and said he welcomes public scrutiny.

On representation in the force, Marsh continued: “Under-representation is a societal issue that’s much wider than the police, but we’re taking many positive steps to addressing this imbalance, including some pioneering and progressive work being carried out by our inclusion and diversity team and staff associations.

“It’s having an impact. Between October 2016 and March this year, 14 per cent of our student officers were from a BAME background, compared to a national average of 11 per cent.

“We’re asking for the community to keep working with us. Help us become a more diverse police force and break down barriers so we can be truly reflective of our wonderfully diverse communities.”

He outlined some of the changes made since January 2017. They include:

• Commissioning an independent review of our approach to taser, carried out by another police force.
• Issuing body worn video to all front line officers.
• Publishing use of force data for public viewing.
• Working with the Police and Crime Commissioner to introduce a panel made up of independent members of the community to scrutinise how we use policing powers.
• Education for the wider community around the use of taser.
• Running a citizen’s academy masterclass on taser and use of force.

Adundi is now pursing a civil claim against the police force over the incident.