Thames Valley Police Chief on use of force by officers
Jason Hogg has been sharing thoughts on the public filming police as he announces more volunteers are being recruited for their use of force panels.
Last updated 13th Sep 2024
The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police says he wishes members of the public wouldn't use their phones to record his officers making arrests.
Jason Hogg says the public should trust that 'use of force' is always recorded by Police body worn cameras. He says this video can be made available to the public should there be a complaint.
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire area's policing chief says filming on mobile phones can make difficult situations worse:
"My strong view is to not use phones to do this. Officers are often dealing with stressful situations. They're having to make split second decisions and it adds a layer of more stress sometimes.
"When officers use force the expectation is that they always have to justify that. It will always be recorded in body worn video which is open to scrutiny."
The Chief Constable also adds that video shared on social media is evidence, and in the interests of fairness they then must gather that social media video for court. He is asking the public to contact police directly with video they may gather, rather than posting online.
Jason Hogg says they've arrested and charged more people in the past year, but the public tell him they are often concerned with 'what' the police are doing and 'how' they are doing it.
He wants to reassure people that strict use of force guidelines are in place, with officers requalifying in the training every year.
But he says though complaints around use of force by Thames Valley Police are very small, they want more volunteers for their scrutiny panels looking into the action by officers.
"When officers use force the expectation is that they always have to justify that. It will always be recorded in body worn video which is open to scrutiny."
Chief Constable Hogg is making the call to anyone interested in being recruited to the use of force panels to scrutinise police force, to get in touch with Thames Valley Police.