The police officer who was convicted of assaulting two members of the public for several days during the first Covid lockdown was dismissed for serious misconduct.
Last month, Pc Declan Jones was convicted by a magistrate for crimes including assaulting a teenager. Birmingham It started with the attack on a man in Aston on April 20 last year.
The next day, the 30-year-old police officer continued to punch and kick a 15-year-old who was falsely accused of possessing drugs in the Newtown area of the city.
On Tuesday, Jones was fired without notice West Midlands Police Chief Police Officer Sir David Thompson said the case also involved “national concerns” surrounding the use of force by the police against members of the black community.
Sir David observed that Jones’ behavior has brought reputation to the West Midlands police and general police. He said at the hearing: “This case involves the conviction of two police officers on duty.
“Both attacks were captured by CCTV and circulated widely. Any public who is right-thinking will feel that the force exerted is excessive and unprovoked.
“This is obviously the court’s decision in this case. This case shows that the official clearly abused his power during his duty.”
Sir David presided over an accelerated hearing for misconduct and said of Jones: “The police officer’s behavior is clearly far below what any police officer should have.
“This kind of behavior is a crime and has seriously affected the public view of the West Midlands Police.
“In this case, I apologize completely to his victim. I cannot see that there is no punishment other than that the official should be fired without notice.”
Sir David said it was inevitable to see the case in the context of the black community’s fear of police use of force, adding that Jones’ criminal behavior “makes the job of a good policeman more difficult”.
Do this and make sure our black community knows that this is essential to me and everyone in this force who thinks right
The chief police officer said that such cases will be routinely reviewed to improve the performance of the force.
The chief officer continued: “Do this well and make sure that our black community knows that this is essential to me and every right-thinking person in this force.
“It requires each of us to work hard to get better… so that we can remove the stains left by this policeman’s actions on our troops.”
In a statement issued after the case, Sir David said: “Police officer Join the public service. They run to danger and put themselves in danger.
“Every day I see some examples that make me proud of the officers in this army who wear the crown badge and do great things for the community.
“However, this case will reinforce the view of some people that his bad behavior was only taken because of the clear visibility of CCTV. In this case, other uncivilized behaviors of black people have not received unavoidable attention.
“Although I don’t believe this is true, as a force and a group of professionals, if we do not face the reality of this view and the fact that we disproportionately use force against black people, we will fail.
“In order to solve this problem, the army and each of us need to do more. We monitor an unequal society, there will be differences. Where they exist, we must explain them and take action to prove our The behavior is fair and in the public interest.”
Jones denied these two crimes in the Coventry District Court trial, and he did not participate in his misconduct hearing at the West Midlands Police Headquarters.
He will be sentenced in Birmingham District Court later this week.
