Close range CS spray – Brentwood

Essex police force are no strangers to complaints about their use of CS spray.

In 1998 there were 18 complaints to the fore-runner of the IPCC, the PCA about the use of CS spray by Essex Police officers. Nationally in 1998 44% of complaints related to the spray not being used in self defence and the key issue was that sprays were being used at a distance of less than three feet. The Essex Police Chief Constable in 1999, David Stevens said in July of that year that the use of the spray was a ‘…worthwhile addition…’ to avoid having to use batons.

Despite the intervening 11 years of training and use, Essex Police still don’t seem to have quite got the hang of close range.

The following video was taken by someone, of a news report shown on BBC News in the Eastern region and is not of great quality. The added annotations are not of particular help to the unfolding scene either. However the version originally broadcast does at least avoid the cuts made by the BBC on the version now showing on the BBC website.

The incident is under investigation by the IPCC and three police officers have been placed on restricted duties until the investigation is completed.