IPCC 'Song Titles' Investigation Concludes

A Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) firearms officer facing misconduct action after an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) managed investigation has had his suspension lifted.

The officer (known as AZ8) is said to have made a crass remark to a Senior Officer about inserting song titles into evidence he gave at the Mark Saunders inquest on Monday 27 September 2010. However the commission found that whilst a number of phrases that could be construed as song titles were used, there is no evidence that they were deliberately inserted.

The seriousness of the allegations led to a thorough investigation by the Directorate of Professional Standards that was managed by the IPCC whilst the officer was suspended. All the relevant evidence was considered resulting in the investigation concluding that on the balance of probabilities the officer made a highly inappropriate remark after he had given evidence. There was no evidence of the officer, or any other person, deliberately intending to use song lyrics.

Due to the inappropriate remark being made after his evidence and the seriousness of this, whilst the evidence does not support a gross misconduct board, the MPS will now consider what appropriate misconduct action the officer should face.

The officer will remain on restricted duties pending the misconduct decision and will not be conducting firearms duties.

A second officer from CO19 will face a local misconduct decision in relation to his initial handling of the incident after the song lyric comment was made to him by AZ8.

The MPS will now consider whether there is any organisational learning from this incident and whether changes need to be made to any processes.

(BMcN/GK)