Norfolk Police to take no further action after officer recording scandal
Officers were recorded discussing misconduct during a body-cam session
Norfolk Constabulary has said it will not take further action against officers secretly recorded discussing a visit to a brothel and illegally stopping and searching black women.
The force found itself facing a fresh scandal last month after footage uploaded online showed officers making a series of damning comments while unaware they were being recorded.
The clips were from more than four hours of audio captured on a body-worn camera left recording inside Bethel Street police station in Norwich, after it was seized from Gemma Barnes, an animal rights activist, during her arrest in January 2023.
In the recordings, one officer is heard saying: “I illegally stop, search IC3 (black) females and then I arrest them,” while a colleague joked about telling members of the public they were “being black and disobedient”.
In a separate exchange, officers are heard discussing a visit to a Norwich massage parlour, referencing “happy endings”.
Elsewhere, two officers can be heard planning to build a case for a Criminal Behaviour Order against Ms Barnes, saying: “Give it six months… just got to be patient.”
The material on the recording had previously been investigated by Norfolk Constabulary after Ms Barnes lodged an official complaint in 2024.
That investigation was completed earlier this year and saw “a number of matters” dealt with through internal misconduct processes, while a review of the officers’ stop and search records found “no wider evidence of discriminatory behaviour”.
The case was also examined by the IOPC, which recommended further education for the officers involved and directed the force to apologise to Ms Barnes for delays in handling her complaint.
After the most recent release of the footage, Norfolk Police launched a fresh review of the material, saying it had not previously been provided “in its current format”.
Although it has said not further action will be taken, it has acknowledged the recording would “undermine public confidence in policing”.
A spokesman said: “A review of footage previously not provided to the constabulary in the format released online has been completed and no further conduct issues have been identified.
“Our position still stands that, consistent with findings made during the original investigation, which was finalised in March 2026, some of the language used falls below the standards the public rightly expects from police officers.
“These matters will be addressed through reflective practice and organisational learning, and this approach is consistent with findings by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which concluded the issues were best addressed through learning rather than any further investigation.”
Ms Barnes said the force’s justification for reviewing the footage a second time was “misleading”, and claimed they had been in possession of the entire footage since her complaint was first lodged in 2024.
She said: “Norfolk Constabulary’s claim that the Bethel Street recording had not previously been available in its ‘current format’ was deliberately misleading.
“The only difference is that the audio has recently been enhanced for clarity. The force has had the full footage for two years, and every extract I’ve published contains the original, unenhanced audio.
“The force publicly assured people the footage would be re-examined and addressed. But I have since been told by its Professional Standards Department that no further action will be taken against any officer involved, beyond ‘reflective practice’.
“This makes a mockery of those assurances.
“Norfolk Constabulary appears more concerned with managing the fallout than holding its officers accountable.
“Its indifference to such conduct – and the resulting destruction of public trust and confidence – is abhorrent, and exposes the total absence of meaningful regulation and oversight.”
Ms Barnes, 36, is no stranger to Norfolk’s police and courts.
A member of Animal Rebellion, she has been arrested more than 20 times since 2020, including over a 2022 protest at a Norwich branch of Marks & Spencer, where she poured milk over the meat counter and shop floor, and a 2023 incident in which she was accused of stealing a lamb from Norwich Livestock Market, a case still listed to be heard in 2028.
In 2024 she was fined £180, plus £372 costs, after being found guilty of obstructing a lawful activity during a protest at an Arla Foods dairy in Buckinghamshire.
She is now suing Norfolk Constabulary for wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, and trespass to goods, and has separately launched a judicial review into the IOPC’s handling of her original complaint.
One aspect of her case remains open, however.
The force confirmed it is carrying out further enquiries into the unlawful arrest allegation, following a direction from the IOPC, and said it would be inappropriate to comment further while that work continues.