West Midlands Police officer charged with three assaults

16 Oct 2020 03:52 PM

A West Midlands Police officer was recently (Friday 16 October) charged with three assaults which allegedly took place during separate incidents in Birmingham over a four-day period.

The charges are in connection with a series of ongoing investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into allegations of excessive use of force by police officers in the city earlier this year.

Police constable Declan Jones, aged 29, has been charged with common assaults in relation to the detention of a youth at Newtown on 21 April; the stop and search of a man at Aston on 20 April; and the stop and search of another man at Handsworth on 23 April.

We began an independent investigation into the circumstances of the incident at Newtown following a voluntary referral from West Midlands Police on 30 April. Our investigations in respect of the incidents at Aston and Handsworth followed complaints referred to us in May.  

We passed files of evidence from our enquiries to the Crown Prosecution Service which has now authorised the charges.

PC Jones, who is based in Birmingham, will make his first appearance before Coventry Magistrates Court on 18 November this year. We understand he is currently suspended from duties.