The case of my client Tariq Stanley deservedly attracted a lot of media attention in its aftermath, the facts being quite stark and shocking. As reported by The Guardian this week, Tariq, an insurance underwriter, was minding his own business in his BMW car, parked outside his flat in London in April 2020, when Metropolitan Police Officers approached him for a drugs search, announcing that they could “smell cannabis”. No cannabis was ever found but Tariq, despite co-operating with the search, was needlessly manhandled and handcuffed by the gang of officers whose use of force caused Tariq to suffer a significant soft-tissue injury to his left wrist, as they unnecessarily forced his hands behind his back, and for which he later required hospital treatment.
To add insult to injury, the officers then arrested Tariq for purportedly “obstructing a drugs search” – although the reality was that he had done no more than verbally protest about the gratuitous use of handcuffs, despite his compliance. As a black man, Tariq felt understandably targeted by the officers because of his race, given the absence of any other reasonable explanation for their behaviour. As Tariq told the Guardian-
“It is still my belief that they saw me and their first instincts were negative racial thoughts rather than neutrality and that’s the mindset they need to get rid of if they want to move forward.”
Feeling that he was being abducted, Tariq was taken by the officers to Plumstead Police Station where he was detained overnight for a period of over 9 hours – spending the majority of the time locked in a cell, apart from a visit to hospital, where it was necessary for his wrist to be x-rayed, such was the severity of the injury the Police had inflicted upon him.
During his time in custody, Tariq suffered considerable mental trauma: he had a panic attack and was forced to undergo a strip-search. All of this, just like the initial handcuffing, was completely unnecessary, the evidential review officer concluding a few hours later that there was no evidence that Tariq had obstructed the search at all.
Tariq should never have been searched, should never have been handcuffed and should certainly never have been arrested. As a result of what the Police did to him, he was left with a hand so badly injured he had to wear a splint upon it for 8 weeks. Far worse, however, were the far- reaching mental effects which this horrible experience had upon Tariq. He lost his self- confidence and became unusually fearful ; he sold his ‘dream’ BMW because of the bad memories of the event which seeing it brought back.
Tariq felt humiliated and degraded by what the Police had done to him, dragged down into a pit of stereotypes by their brutal actions. Without any thought, they had changed his place in the world overnight and it would take a long time for him to overcome his anxieties and regain his self- confidence.
What Justice In the Police Complaint Process?
At an early stage in Tariq’s case the mighty IOPC (Independent Office of Police Conduct) washed their hands of this matter – as they do with the vast majority of complaints – and delegated the complaint investigation to the Met’s own Professional Standards Directorate.
The subsequent Professional Standards investigation purported to find that–
- there was NO evidence that Tariq was a victim of racial profiling
- there was NO evidence that he was searched unlawfully
- the force used by the officers upon Tariq was entirely lawful and, indeed, “demonstrated restraint and control by the officers”
- Tariq’s arrest was entirely lawful
- appropriate medical care was provided whilst Tariq was in custody.
In other words, the complaint was comprehensively rejected on ALL grounds and as far as those officers tasked with the crucial responsibility of ensuring the professional health of the Metropolitan Police and guarding against abuse of power were concerned, all was well with the world and what had happened to Tariq could presumably happen to him again – and he would have no grounds for complaint.
I have long made clear my view of the ‘whitewashing’ ethos which predominates in the complaint handling culture of all of our Police Forces, and the Met is certainly no exception to this.
It is a sad truth that the Professional Standards departments of our Policing institutions have through actions which speak far louder than words, consistently demonstrated themselves to be ‘on the side’ of the officers under investigation rather than the public who are complaining of misconduct. What a very different attitude the Police take in response to a complaint about one of their own, as opposed to a complaint of criminal behaviour against a citizen. It is almost as if the Professional Standards units of our Police Forces are little more than branch- offices of the Police Federation: Union reps whose job it is to cheer-lead and protect their ‘members.’
Tariq’s case is yet another example of how broken the Police complaint system is, and the proof of that is in the outcome which I have been able to achieve for him through the far-more impartial institution of our Courts.
In response to Court proceedings, and notwithstanding the apparently ‘robust’ conclusions of their PSD, the Met have now agreed to settle Tariq’s claim on the following terms-
- Compensatory damages in the sum of £22,500;
- Payment of legal costs; AND
- A written apology from a senior officer at the Met to Tariq, addressing the unlawfulness of their officers’ conduct against him.
It is that apology which means far more to Tariq than the monetary compensation, and hopefully it will go a long way to enabling him to obtain closure over these events and fully move on with his life; but it begs the question, what did the PSD officers fail to see that the Met now apparently fears a Jury will see?
Why was the apology which Tariq undoubtedly deserves, not offered to him in response to his complaint, at the earlier, unforced stage when it would have meant far more and gone a long way to mitigating Tariq’s suffering and sense of injustice?
Is the time approaching when we will have to take the task of investigating Police complaints entirely out of the hands of the Police themselves, because comrades simply can’t be trusted to police comrades?
In the meantime, if you have been let down by the Police complaints system, please contact me for expert assessment, advice, and assistance.
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