Four Police Officers Disciplined Over Unlawful Search Of Cars

Four police officers have been disciplined after it was found they had searched two cars unlawfully.

The warrant for the searches covered only buildings and not vehicles, a Police Ombudsman report has concluded.

The searches, which took place in Co Antrim in December 2014, were connected to a search of premises for contraband cigarettes and tobacco

The men said they had arrived while the search was ongoing and officers recorded their details when they entered the building. They were later told that their cars were to be searched.

The men challenged this, stating that their vehicles were not parked on the grounds of the premises. They also asked to see the search warrant, but said this was refused.

The men complained that the searches had been conducted in full public view, and also alleged that they had been unlawfully detained, stating that they had been told not to leave while the searches were undertaken.

The police sergeant who oversaw the operation accepted that the cars should not have been searched, but said it was a mistake on the part of the officers involved. He said his briefing had made it clear that the warrant covered only buildings.

The two officers who searched the vehicles said they had been asked to do so by the police Log Keeper and believed they were authorised by the warrant.

Another officer accepted that he had made a genuine mistake, which he put down to a breakdown in communication.

The Police Ombudsman investigator submitted a file to the PSNI recommending that all four officers be disciplined in connection with the searches. The PSNI has since implemented the recommendations.

(CD)