AN OFFICER has received a written warning after using incapacitating spray in order to restrain a man.
Sergeant John Chen, based in Reading local policing area, was sanctioned with a written warning on October 5.
This decision followed a three-day public misconduct hearing at Thames Valley Police's headquarters in Kidlington.
A hearing, chaired by Nicola Talbot Hadley, heard how sgt Chen sprayed the man with Captor spray in view of members of the public.
The incident took place in Tilehurst on July 17 last year, when a man was being restrained by officers.
The panel found that Sgt Chen breached standards of professional behaviour in respect of use of force, which amounted to gross misconduct.
The spray projects a jet of liquid into a person's eyes and causes immediate burning pain, but officers are required to prove that it is a justified measure of force.
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