A police officer who broke a woman’s arm while arresting her may have used “excessive force”, an investigation has found.

A woman who was arrested in Milton Keynes in relation to a domestic incident suffered the injuries in March 2016.

A police misconduct tribunal found that the arresting officer did not use the appropriate tactics but had not committed misconduct.

The case has resurfaced after the BBC published new analysis on Friday (February 11) showing seven officers and one staff member of Thames Valley Police have been found guilty of misconduct since 2018.

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The woman suffered the broken arm during her arrest. Officers called her an ambulance, but took her to hospital themselves when it did not arrive.

The woman made a complaint to the IOPC the following day, and also raised concerns about the language one of the officers used towards her prior to her arrest.

The IOPC investigation found that the decision to arrest the woman was in line with policy, but that the force used may have been excessive and that the actions of the officers while restraining her could have resulted in her broken arm.

The IOPC report states: “The evidence suggested that, due the level of injury sustained by the woman, the officers’ use of force may have been excessive and that their actions during the restraint contributed to the injury.

“The evidence also indicated that one of the officers’ use of language when dealing with the woman may have exacerbated her response both to him and the other people present.

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“The investigation found that there was sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable tribunal could conclude that two officers had a case to answer for misconduct in respect of the level of force they used when restraining the woman.”

After reviewing the IOPC’s report, Thames Valley Police held a misconduct meeting with the officer who broke the woman’s arm. It was found that the officer used the wrong tactics and inappropriate language.

The meeting determined that this behaviour did not constitute misconduct but that there were significant concerns, resulting in the officer receiving management action and refresher training.

Thames Valley Police misconduct hearings are presided over by an independent legally qualified chairperson.

The hearings are generally held in public, unless they address issues of national security, they interfere with the prevention or detection of crime, or if there are concerns over the welfare of parties involved.

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said: "Sanctions at misconduct hearings are a matter for the independent legally qualified chair and our misconduct procedures are fit for purpose."