A police officer who asked a man "it hurts, doesn't it?" after pushing his face against a car during an arrest has been sacked. Hertfordshire Police constable Stephen Dalton used "unnecessary" excessive force while detaining a man in Watford on October 4, 2019, following reports of attempted bike shed break-ins.
The man was pushed against a parked police car, his face struck the vehicle and he was taken to the ground. He was treated in hospital and was later released without charge.
An independently chaired disciplinary panel found the officer was in breach of the police professional standards of behaviour relating to use of force, authority, respect and courtesy for saying "it hurts doesn't it?" when he knew the man was injured; and conduct.
Graham Beesley, regional director of the the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: "PC Dalton did not demonstrate self-control or professionalism and allowed the incident to escalate. Our investigation found the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct and today a disciplinary panel has concluded the amount of force used was unnecessary and the officer has now lost his job. His conduct fell far below the standards expected and clearly had the potential to damage public confidence in the police."
Gross misconduct was found proven against PC Dalton who has been placed on the barred list, meaning he cannot work in policing again. During the four-month investigation, which began after the IOPC received a referral from the police force in October 2019, CCTV footage was gathered and reviewed.
The man who was arrested during the incident made a complaint. The police watchdog passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. On November 5, 2021, PC Dalton was acquitted by a jury following a trial at St Albans Crown Court.
