Durham police facing possible inquiry into
handling of Cummings case
Force’s findings prompt complaints which could lead to
misconduct investigation
Durham police said they might have intervened to send
Dominic Cummings home had they caught him on the trip on 12 April.
Josh
Halliday
Published
onFri 29 May 2020 19.39 BST
Durham
police is facing a possible inquiry into its handling of the Dominic Cummings
saga after complaints were passed to its internal investigation team.
The force
has received a number of complaints from members of the public angry at the way
it dealt with Boris Johnson’s aide over his travels during lockdown.
It is
understood the messages have been passed to the force’s professional standards
department which is assessing whether to take matters further.
The force,
one of the smallest in Britain, was thrust into the spotlight when the Guardian
and Mirror revealed a week ago that Cummings drove 260 miles from London to his
family property in Durham then made a second trip to a local beauty spot.
Following
an investigation this week, Durham police said it believed the special adviser
probably did break lockdown rules by embarking on a 52-mile round trip to the
town of Barnard Castle with his wife and son on her birthday.
Officers
might have intervened to send him home had they caught him on the trip on 12
April, or fined him if he refused, the report said.
Its
investigation also concluded that Cummings did not break health protection
regulations by making the 260-mile trip to Durham with his son and wife, who
had coronavirus symptoms, though it made no finding in relation to the “stay at
home” government guidance.
The force’s
findings have been met with anger in some quarters, prompting several emailed
complaints which were then passed on to its professional standards department
as is protocol. The complaints were first revealed by the Telegraph on Friday.
The nature
of the complaints is not known. The force’s findings published on Thursday
prompted anger both from people who believe Cummings did break the law and
those who believe the force should never have retrospectively investigated the
matter.
A Durham
constabulary spokesman said: “There is currently no investigation into the
force’s handling of this inquiry.”
The
professional standards department could decide to take matters further if it
believes there is enough evidence to warrant a misconduct investigation. Such
investigations have the authority to seize documents, interview witnesses and
even arrest serving police officers.
A spokeswoman
for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said no referral had been
made to it from Durham police and therefore it was not conducting any
investigation.
Cummings
has denied any wrongdoing and said the journey to Barnard Castle on 12 April, Easter
Sunday, was to test his eyesight. The prime minister and cabinet continued to
stand by him on Friday.
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