Met police officers cleared over shooting dogs dead
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had found "no indication" that any officers "behaved in a manner which would justify disciplinary action"
Firearms officers who destroyed two dogs dangerously out of control have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that the officers acted correctly in dealing with the incident in Poplar, east London, in May 2023.
Viral footage circulated of the officers from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police forces during an incident that resulted in Louie Turnbull's dogs being killed beside a canal in Limehouse.
The video showed officers pursuing a man holding the dogs on a short lead before the situation became heated and the man was tasered to the floor and the animals were shot dead.
On Friday, the IOPC said it had found "no indication" that any officers "behaved in a manner which would justify disciplinary action or had committed a criminal offence".
It added: "We reviewed police body-worn video, CCTV footage, mobile phone footage, the 999 call, radio transmissions, and obtained statements from police witnesses, members of the public and expert witnesses. The experts advised us on police training, policies, legislation, personnel, equipment, seizing dogs, destroying dogs and the aftermath of destruction.
"We have asked both forces to consider the availability and demand for dog handlers, and whether their current resourcing is adequate.
"Our investigation concluded in September. All parties have been informed of our decision and due to welfare concerns for some of the individuals involved in this matter, we will not be publishing/issuing any further information."
Police said they had been called out at just after 5pm to reports of a woman being attacked by a dog in Commercial Road in east London.
She suffered an injury to her leg but did not need hospital treatment.
Turnbull was handed a suspended sentence in November 2023 after pleading guilty to owning two dangerously out-of-control dogs.
He was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
At the time of incident, he was under a 20-year ban from owning dogs, with the court order instated in November 2019 following a similar incident for which he also received a suspended sentence.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of dogs while under a 20-year disqualification order. He had earlier that month admitted the same offences in relation to an incident in February 2023 in Strutton Ground, Westminster, during which his dogs attacked and blinded a Pomeranian dog.
"the officers faced a really challenging situation and made numerous attempts to get the owner of the aggressive animals to surrender them to prevent further injury to anyone"
Responding to the IOPC decision, Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in the area for the Met Police, said: "The IOPC investigation has been extensive, examining every aspect of what happened that day and scrutinising body-worn video, mobile-phone footage and CCTV of the incident as well as consulting dangerous dog experts.
"The investigation found the officers faced a really challenging situation and made numerous attempts to get the owner of the aggressive animals - after they had attacked a woman and her dog - to surrender them to prevent further injury to anyone.
"The officers demonstrated impressive restraint and bravery in trying to resolve the situation in the face of the owner repeatedly refusing to comply, and only took further action when they were left with no choice after the dogs came free of the man's grip.
"Parts of the incident were filmed and posted on social media and we know how much distress this matter caused. None of us would wish to see injury to any animal and that includes our officers, who only acted to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
"Police officers are highly trained to deal with situations involving dogs that are dangerously out of control and their overriding concern will always be to ensure the safety of the public."
The incident sparked vigils for the two dogs - called Marshall and Millions.