Misconduct hearing: Bristol police officer denies 'avoiding extra work'
PC Rose Wilson says she mistakenly believed neither victim wanted to press charges when in fact they did.
A police officer denied failing to investigate two assaults in Bristol because she could not be bothered with the extra work.
PC Rose Wilson told an Avon & Somerset Police misconduct hearing that she had mistakenly believed neither victim wanted to press charges when in fact they did.
The South Gloucestershire-based officer is accused of making dishonest or misleading accounts on the force’s records, being “patronising, rude or impolite to members of the public” and failing to deal adequately with their complaints, which could amount to gross misconduct and dismissal if proven.
She did not accurately record the complaints, made inaccurate records, failed to upload body-worn video despite being told to do so by her supervisor and did not obtain written statements or relevant evidence into the assaults at different addresses in Horfield on July 29 and September 26, 2022, it is alleged.
Barrister Matt Holdcroft, representing the constabulary, said PC Wilson had no interest in hearing the July victim’s side of the story about a neighbourly altercation and kept talking over her and being dismissive – claims that the officer denied.
PC Wilson said that in both cases, she did not carry out house-to-house enquiries or take photos of any possible injuries because she did not believe the investigations were going to proceed and that all parties were satisfied that matters had been resolved.
Speaking about the first incident, she said that the woman whose arm was allegedly pulled behind her back by her next-door neighbour in a fracas after she sprayed him with a hosepipe had been asked if she wanted to make a complaint but declined.
However, Mr Holdcroft said: “At no point did she tell you that she did not wish to pursue the allegation.”
PC Wilson replied: “Not in so many words, no.
“We gave her opportunities to do so and she dismissed us.
“That’s why I came to the conclusion that she did not want to make a complaint.”
She said she got the impression that the woman did not want to pursue a prosecution because of how she had treated PC Wilson and a colleague at the scene, including telling them to f*** off at the end of the visit.
PC Wilson said: “I was dealing with the incident the best I could at the time.”
She denied claims from Mr Holdcroft that she did not investigate further because she “simply did not want to do the work”.
The second incident involved a mum who took a mobile phone from a nine-year-old girl who was filming bullying of her children.
The girl’s dad later went round to their house to get it back and punched the husband in the face several times, the panel was told.
Giving evidence on day two of the hearing at force headquarters in Portishead on Wednesday, September 25, the mum said: “The officers were more concerned with the fact I had taken the phone than the fact my husband had just been assaulted.”
Mr Holdcroft said the dad had made it clear that he wanted to press charges before PC Wilson left to speak to the family of the assailant.
But when the officer returned, she spoke only to the mum and that because the family seemed to be happy that the situation had been resolved, she assumed they longer wanted a police investigation, the hearing was told.
PC Wilson told the panel: “They were relieved that the incident was resolved because they did not want it running on.”
She said that if she’d thought they had wanted a full investigation that she would have done things differently, and that that the problem was communication breakdown between her and her colleague and the victim.
PC Wilson said: “I didn’t think the incident was going any further so I didn’t mark my body-worn video as evidential.”
She said the report she filed saying “no further actions outstanding” was written honestly.
The officer said that with hindsight, she should have carried out house-to-house enquiries.
PC Wilson said: “When I returned, he had the opportunity to say to us he would be happy to provide a statement but he didn’t.
“He actually walked away from us and dismissed us.”
The officer denies misconduct. The hearing continues.