Senior Northamptonshire Police Officer Investigated Over Arrest Footage Case

A senior officer and two staff members at Northamptonshire Police are under criminal and misconduct investigation for allegedly perverting the course of justice.

The probe relates to their handling of body-worn video footage connected to a woman's 2021 arrest.

Nadine Buzzard-Quashie sought the video under the Data Protection Act after her arrest in Northampton in September 2021.

Northamptonshire Police repeatedly refused to release the footage, prompting her to take legal action against Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet.

The chief constable was found guilty of contempt of court in November, the first such sanction against a chief constable, and was fined nearly £300,000.

The video shows Buzzard-Quashie being wrestled to the ground by officers after a welfare concern was raised.

Buzzard-Quashie described her treatment as degrading, including having her face pushed into stinging nettles.

Police charged her with failing to stop, but the Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the case.

Northamptonshire Police failed to release the footage despite orders from the Information Commissioner and a district judge.

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