A young woman has said she was made to feel like a criminal when officers attended her house for a welfare check.
Rebekah Smith was charged with attacks on two police officers when they called on her flat in Pleasant House, Staple Hill, in January last year after a report she had taken an overdose. Bristol Crown Court heard Ms Smith bit and spat at the officers - but she told a jury the officers were heavy-handed and she acted in self-defence.
The 26-year-old was cleared of any wrongdoing following a trial back in July and she has been urging police to have better training in handling people undergoing mental health difficulties as well as people of colour.
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Avon and Somerset Police said that its professional standards department received a formal complaint about this and enquiries were carried out, but that no evidence was found that Ms Smith was treated unfavourably due to, or that the officers’ actions were motivated by, her ethnicity.
The force said its enquiries found officers were at the woman’s address to ensure her safety but that, during this review, it was identified that one of the officers used unprofessional language. It said the Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel have been asked to examine the case to see if any learnings can be identified.
Ms Smith has now said she was left terrified during the incident as eight officers turned up at her house in two police cars and a riot van and tried to force their way into her home. The young woman - who claims she was left with bruising all over her body as well as some cuts - also claims they attempted to strip search her once in custody because she wasn't cooperating.
Ms Smith said: "I was terrified, I was in shock - I was very upset because of the way they were acting. I felt more like a criminal rather than someone in need of help.
"This was supposed to be a welfare check, but they were making me feel like I had done something wrong. They were aggressive rather than looking after me. The number of officers there was excessive - they made the situation worse."
She also claims officers forced their way into the property without a warrant and that, during the confrontation officers pushed her front door into her face, causing her a head injury. Ms Smith claimed she ended up being pinned down by four officers, one grabbing each extremity, and that she was called a "dirty bitch" by one of the officers.
"I repeatedly stated that I was fine, I told them that I didn't want or need their assistance and that my welfare was intact," she continued. "I demonstrated full capacity and nobody claimed otherwise.
"The struggle lasted for three hours and the police assured me that I wouldn't be arrested and that they would leave on multiple occasions. They didn't listen to anything I was saying, they just wanted to get in."
Ms Smith - who said she has no criminal record - said she was taken into the police station with no socks on, despite the freezing weather, and with only one shoe on. She claimed that her trousers were undone when she was handcuffed, leaving her exposed, and that a male officer reached towards her open jeans button to do them up as she was being taken into the riot van.
"I was furious and very angry, I thought he was going to sexually assault me," she said. "It was unbelievable." She was released under investigation, she said, and returned home the following day at 3.20am. The 26-year-old said she feels there may have been a racial element to what happened as she is a mixed-race woman, adding she didn't think a white single woman would have been treated in the same way.
She said the officers need racial education as she was not angry but terrified, adding white women do not get treated like they are dangerous when they are scared. "They should have approached me with one or two officers and just check that I am okay, rather than forcing their way into my house," she continued.
Ms Smith - who suffers with anxiety and depression - said she is now frightened of police because of what happened and would not trust them to report any future incidents. The young woman said the incident caused her to have panic attacks and has left her with extreme psychological trauma.
What Avon and Somerset Police says
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said: "Two female officers attended a woman’s property after concerns for her welfare were raised by a family member.
"The woman appeared in an agitated and distressed state and didn’t want to engage with officers, increasing their concerns for her welfare. This resulted in them using legislation to enter the premises without a warrant, in order to save life and limb.
“Following an investigation into this incident, a case file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which authorised charges of assaulting an emergency worker to be brought.
"The case has gone to court and the woman was found not guilty on both counts following a trial. We fully accept and respect the jury's verdict.
"A formal complaint was previously submitted to our Professional Standards Department (PSD), and enquiries were carried out, which included a review of officers’ body worn video footage of the incident. These enquires didn’t find any evidence to suggest the complainant was treated unfavourably due to, or that the officers’ actions were motivated by, her ethnicity.
“It found officers were at the woman’s address to ensure her safety. They wanted to speak with her, get appropriate medical care if required and ensure she had appropriate support.
"However, during this review it was identified that one of the officers used unprofessional language. While this did not form part of the complaint, this matter was addressed with the officer directly.
“To be as open and transparent as we possibly can be, we have asked the Independent Scrutiny of Police Complaints Panel, formally known as the Independent Residents Panel, to examine the case to see if any learnings can be identified. You can find out more about the panel here.”
The force said that, over the past two years it has carried out a "significant amount of training" on how it responds to mental health-related incidents, which has been delivered to frontline officers and police communications staff.
It said the force is committed to working towards creating an anti-racist police service, taking a zero-tolerance stance to racism. It added the assistant chief constable is leading on developing their anti-racism strategy, which will bring together the local and national recommendations.
The force said it was one of the first police services in the country to introduce de-escalation training to all frontline staff, which gives officers the tactics and skills to defuse hostile situation through negotiation.
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