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A police watchdog has cleared two officers of any wrongdoing following accusations of racial profiling, although it discovered there was “room for improvement” in the best way officers communicated.
It comes after footage of the Suffolk Constabulary officers’ encounter with a middle-aged black couple was seen greater than two million occasions on Twitter final yr.
In the video, taken on 9 June, Ingrid Antoine-Oniyoke and her husband Falil Oniyoke are seen being instructed to indicate ID after they have been stopped of their automobile.
The couple, who stay in Watford, had been staying at Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke’s mom’s home whereas their very own house was renovated.
A male officer is seen within the clip telling Mr Oniyoke and Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke they “look suspicious,” whereas Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke tells him and a feminine colleague: “This is disgusting”.
Mr Oniyoke will be heard saying: “This is profiling”.
However, it was the feminine officer’s commentary that prompted widespread condemnation when the video went viral on social media final yr.
She is seen telling the couple: “You have turned something irate that shouldn’t be. You are just jumping on the bandwagon – that’s not OK.”
It was judged the officer seemed to be referring to the Black Lives Matter motion, accusing Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke and Mr Oniyoke of “jumping on the bandwagon” of worldwide anti-police brutality protests.
The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) the identical month, which has since determined “that the actions of the officers were appropriate and proportionate and followed approved police policies”.
“The officers did not treat the man and his wife differently because of their race,” the watchdog concluded.
The two officers had been observing a close-by tackle and instructed to stop anyone arriving or leaving. During that activity, the married couple’s automobile drove previous twice, prompting officers to cease them.
The watchdog stated in an announcement that the incident “raised concerns about public confidence in policing, not least from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities”.
“We found that there was room for improvement in some of the officers’ interactions with the couple who were entirely justified in querying why they were being stopped,” it added.
Darren Harris, chairman of Suffolk Police Federation, stated that “whilst public scrutiny is expected” within the police, “officers should never be subject to trial by social media”.
“In this case we must note that when all the evidence has been diligently considered as part of an independent investigation, the actions of our colleagues have been found to be appropriate and proportionate,” he stated.
“Suffolk Police Federation has been supporting these officers since the incident gained prominence. We now look forward to continuing to support them as they go about their roles keeping the people of Suffolk safe.”
In an interview with the BBC final yr, Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke stated she was scared for her husband throughout the “distressing” incident.
“When you see so many things in the media and you see your husband being treated this way, never been in trouble, it makes you nervous and really anxious,” she stated.
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