WIREDGOV

An officer from Thames Valley Police (TVP) has been dismissed from the force after a disciplinary hearing found he had used unreasonable and disproportionate force on a man in custody.

PS Colin Travi was found by an IPCC investigation to have a case to answer for gross misconduct after punching a man at Abingdon police station on 18 August 2016. CCTV footage showed that PS Travi punched the man in the head four times while attempting to restrain him alongside two other officers.

The strikes to the head caused the man to lose consciousness and require medical treatment in hospital.

Thames Valley Police held a public misconduct hearing this week into PS Travi’s use of force and the hearing found that although it was necessary to use force in the circumstances, the strikes to the head were neither reasonable or proportionate. The panel dismissed PS Travi without notice.

Operations Manager Colin Dewar said:

“Following a thorough and independent investigation by the IPCC, the disciplinary process has found that this officer breached the standards of professional behaviour expected of him.

“This use of force was simply unacceptable and I support the decision of the panel to dismiss PS Travi following a misconduct hearing.”