Review into withheld police video due in December

An independent review into what, how and why Northamptonshire Police failed to hand over body-worn video of an arrest to the courts is expected to report in December.

Nadine Buzzard-Quashie's car was stopped and she said her face was pushed into stinging nettles during the incident in September 2021.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel were updated on the progress of the review and warned of delays in the completion of it.

Marianne Kimani, deputy police, fire and crime commissioner, told the panel: "For us to prevent this happening again we have to identify what happened, how it happened and why it happened, if we do not have that understanding the chances of that recurring increase."

The terms of reference for the review were published earlier this year, highlighting the key objectives and scope of the investigation.

Rebuilding public trust in Northamptonshire Police was identified as a key aim.

Kimani said the review was a "very intense, comprehensive and thorough process".

In the report to the panel it was noted: "The additional materials as requested by the reviewer are detailed and comprehensive in nature and are significant in their volume.

"This inevitably has led to delays in the completion of the review, but the primary concern is thoroughness and openness, rather than speed."

The panel was told that more than 100 documents had been provided to the independent reviewer, former chief crown prosecutor Patricia Richardson.

The battle for the arrest footage culminated in the county's chief of police, Ivan Balhatchet, being found in contempt of court in November.

The Court of Appeal found police staff provided inaccurate and incorrect statements to the court on the chief constable's behalf, despite audit logs revealing the existence of further footage.

The force was ordered to pay a £50,000 fine.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has already confirmed that two police staff members and a senior police officer will be investigated criminally for allegedly perverting the course of justice over the incident.

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