By Mark Redfern
PRESS OFFICERS AT SOUTH WALES POLICE HAVE BEEN DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE DETAINMENT OF MOHAMUD HASSAN, THE YOUNG BLACK MAN FROM ROATH, CARDIFF, WHO DIED HOURS AFTER POLICE CONTACT, HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED
AN IOPC INVESTIGATION INTO MOHAMUD HASSAN’S DEATH IS ONGOING, BUT LAWYERS FOR THE FAMILY HAVE SAID THAT EVIDENCE OF SERIOUS INJURIES OBTAINED IN POLICE CUSTODY IS BEING DISMISSED BY THE AUTHORITIES
BLACK LIVES MATTER CARDIFF SAY: “THIS IS ONCE AGAIN EVIDENCE OF A POLICE FORCE THAT VIEWS ITSELF AS UNACCOUNTABLE, AND AS ABOVE THE PUBLIC.”
MEANWHILE, THE IOPC ARE UNDER FIRE FOR STILL NOT COMPLETING AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF AN ASYLUM SEEKER IN NEWPORT IN 2018, AFTER IMMIGRATION OFFICERS WERE ACCUSED OF MISCONDUCT.
South Wales Police (SWP) have refused to confirm or deny whether the officers involved in the death of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan have been suspended from duties in light of the shocking details surrounding his death and ongoing investigation.
When asked, SWP directed voice.wales to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for comment, but the IOPC then said to contact SWP for details about officer suspensions.
South Wales Police then said: “The circumstances around Mr Hassan’s death are subject to an independent investigation by the IOPC therefore we are unable to comment until that has concluded.” They continued: “Specific queries should be directed to [the IOPC].”
But the IOPC, when subsequently asked, then said that: “This would be for South Wales Police, as any question of suspension/s would be a matter for the police force as the officers’ employer.”
voice.wales then went back to the police and they responded that their initial statement, which they refused to expand on, “stated no misconduct issues had been identified and to date this is unchanged.”
The police were then asked whether “no misconduct issues” meant that the force had not found an adequate reason to suspend officers involved with the investigation into the tragedy – but South Wales Police ignored our request for clarification.
The cops have faced a wave of outrage and protests over the death of Mohamud Hassan, who died hours after being released without charge, and with bodily injuries and bruising, from Cardiff Bay Police Station on Saturday 10th January. Just days after shocking details surrounding his death were released by Lee Jasper from Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice, four days of protests erupted outside Cardiff Bay Police Station.
“Have a look, have a look!” one woman said whilst marching to the station. “Everybody’s up in arms. We want answers, the family wants answers.” Others said that the community would not rest until justice had been done and the truth had come out.
Campaigners on behalf of Mohamud’s family have launched a Crowd Justice page in order to explore legal options “in pursuit of the truth” and have announced that barrister Michael Mansfield QC, famed for his work fighting the Stephen Lawrence injustice, has been retained for the case.
Further details released by Lee Jasper have caused added alarm. On a blog post from 31 January, Jasper wrote: “we now have strong evidence to suggest that [Mohamud] may have been tasered, more than once, during his arrest.”
South Wales Police did not mention the use of a taser in their brief public statement. Another central demand of the campaign, for police to release the body camera and CCTV footage relating to the incident, has also been repeatedly rebuffed.
Meanwhile, the family might have to wait some before the IOPC investigation is complete. IOPC officials have been known to be notoriously slow to reach a verdict.
As a recent example, Mustafa Dawood died during a Home Office immigration raid in Newport in June 2018 and the IOPC report into his death has still yet to be revealed.
The death of the 23-year-old Sudanese man, who died after falling through a factory roof near the car wash where he earned a living, was referred to the IOPC to investigate allegations of misconduct against immigration officials.
In June 2019 the IOPC said that the final report would be available “shortly”. But at time of writing, it has still not been released.
Mark Seymour, project manager at the Newport-based refugee group The Sanctuary, criticised the long wait endured by those who want the full details, held by the authorities, of what happened that day.
Seymour said: “How much longer does the IOPC need to find out what happened and take measures so that no one else has to go through what his family and friends endured? Still no answers.”
Black Lives Matter Cardiff and Vale reacted to the news that South Wales Police failed to comment on officer suspensions.
A spokesperson said: “We believe this is once again evidence of a police force that views itself as unaccountable, and as above the public.”
“This lack of transparency, both to the public and journalists, is yet more evidence that South Wales Police, and the police in general, do not work for their communities.
South Wales Police have yet to respond to our requests for clarification.
In a statement, the IPOC said they had completed their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mustafa Dawood by September 2019: “Following the conclusion we shared our report with Mr Dawood’s family, the Coroner, and Immigration Enforcement. We have previously met with Mr Dawood’s family and, with the consent of the Coroner, shown them relevant CCTV footage of what happened at the Shaftesbury car wash site in Newport. We are awaiting an inquest due to be held later this year before being in a position to publish our findings.”
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