Bedfordshire Police apologises over Potton incident

We have apologised to an elderly man who was arrested following an incident in Potton on Friday after the force concluded he should face no further action.

The man, who is in his 80s, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker after an officer suffered a head injury during an altercation at about 5am.

He had initially approached the attending officers holding a wooden implement, after they had mistakenly looked through his window while responding to an unrelated incident.

The matter was voluntarily referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Deputy Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: “I wanted to say how deeply sorry we are to everyone involved in this incident, which appears to have begun with a simple case of a mistaken address but quickly escalated to a point where a man in his 80s has received injuries to his arms, as a result of being handcuffed, and an officer has suffered a head injury.

“We have been keen to progress this investigation as swiftly as possible for all parties. I have updated the man’s family today to let them know he will face no further action in relation to the alleged assault as, after reviewing the evidence, we are content that the officer's injuries were not caused by an intentional act. I have also apologised for what happened and the injuries he suffered.

“While it is important we allow any review by the IOPC to be carried out before making any further comment, it is also right that we acknowledge where we have got things wrong and there were opportunities to de-escalate this situation which were not taken.

“We're continuing to offer support to the officer who was injured, as well as reviewing the footage of the incident to take on any immediate learning around dealing with vulnerable people.”