Community groups call for sacked Met officer – Inside Croydon

After the borough commander says he will continue to use convicted constable Perry Lathwood on the streets of Croydon, more than a dozen local groups have written to the Met Commissioner and Police Minister Chris Philp, highlighting the behavior questionable and often violent of the officer.

Guilty: PC Perry Lathwood at Westminster Magistrates Court for today’s sentencing

The Met police officer found guilty of assault in the wrongful arrest of a female bus passenger in Croydon last year was today fined £1,500 and ordered to pay a further £1,450 in compensation and costs.

But community groups in Croydon have written a joint letter of complaint to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, calling for a process to sack PC Perry Lathwood to be fast-tracked.

Lathwood “manhandled” Jocelyn Agyemang after she got off a bus on Whitehorse Road last July when the officer wrongfully arrested her for evading, with her young son watching in great distress. During the arrest, the officer called Agyemang a “mad cow”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

During today’s court hearing, Agyemang’s victim statement was read out in open court. She said she was treated with “disdain” by Lathwood and her young son was “devastated”.

The court was told that Lathwood, of Norman’s Bay, East Sussex, does not accept the conviction and will appeal against it.

Sentencing Lathwood, Deputy Chief Justice Tan Ikram said: “On this occasion, in my view, the officer overstepped the mark and made a mistake.”

The judge added that he did not think it was an “abuse of power” but a “mistake”.

As well as the fine, Lathwood was ordered by the judge to pay the victim £200 compensation, £650 costs and a £600 victim surcharge. He will have to pay the total sum of £2,950 within 56 days.

Matt Twist, the Met’s deputy commissioner, said after Lathwood’s conviction it was “a big setback for our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners”.

Community groups in Croydon who wrote to the commissioner say they are “appalled” by this attitude and the MET’s inaction since Lathwood’s guilty verdict last month.

daltonism: Sup. Ch Andy Brittain, Croydon District Commander

The joint letter was signed by representatives of more than a dozen organizations in Croydon, including South West London Law Centre, Public Interest Law Centre, Black Lives Matter, Croydon Stand Up To Racism and Holmesdale Fanatics, the advocacy group Crystal Palace. .

As well as the commissioner, the letter was also sent to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Chris Philp as police minister and Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, Croydon Borough Commander.

The letter states: “Lathwood has a reputation among Crystal Palace fans for his rough handling and ‘bullying’ behavior at football matches over the past 15 years – an example of this being Lathwood hitting Aston Villa fans with his baton several times while they were celebrating. a goal, which was met with outrage when shared on social media in 2019.”

And they say: “It is clear that Lathwood’s assault on Ms Agyemang was not an isolated incident but reflects his practice as a police officer.”

The letter states, “By continuing to hire and support an officer convicted of assaulting and unlawfully arresting a black woman in front of her son, you are perpetuating institutional racism.

Stephen Lawrence: his assassination prompted an official inquiry which found the Met “institutionally racist”

“PC Lathwood’s conviction appears to have made no difference – he is still on full pay and does not face summary dismissal as is the normal procedure following convictions. At a public hearing last week, Andy Brittain, Croydon’s Chief Superintendent of Police, confirmed that he plans to continue employing the convicted and violent officer in the force because punishing him will deter new recruits!

“Hundreds of police officers were fired last year — so why not Lathwood, who was convicted of assault and whose actions are a clear example of the disproportionate use of force black people often experience in their interactions with the police ? Is recruiting more important than accountability and justice?”

The letter suggests the “over-policing of black people” and says that, as the recent Casey Review confirmed, 25 years after the McPherson Report into the crime investigation into the death of Stephen Lawrence, “nothing has changed – the MPS is still racist institutional”.

They say: “Many of us no longer feel protected by the police, but rather targeted by the police. Without community trust, you will not be able to police by consent – ​​the cornerstone of policing in a democracy. As the Casey Review concludes, “consent policing has failed.”

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