Opinion As a former police officer, I’m deeply alarmed by the Rashan Charles ruling Leroy Logan The decision not to prosecute the officer involved in the death of a black man will reduce the community’s trust in the force. It must be reviewed @leroylogan999 Wed 24 Jan 2018 07.00 GMT Share on Facebook

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The death of Rashan Charles last July shocked the black community. Not only because it was another young person dying after a physical altercation with a police officer, but because a graphic CCTV video, shared widely on social media, showed his dying moments as he was pinned to the floor by a uniformed police officer. There was an immediate outcry, because you don’t have to be a doctor or lawyer to question the hold the officer applied to Charles’s throat.

The IPCC, recently rebranded the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), investigated the case and asked the Crown Prosecution Service to consider a charge of common assault against the officer, because of the extensive hold he had on Charles’s throat. However, at the weekend we learned that the officer would face no charges. A CPS spokeswoman said it had “considered the matter and decided the evidential test for a prosecution for common assault is not met”. The officer is still under investigation by the police watchdog for gross misconduct.

For many black people this case reinforced the perception that we are over-policed and under-protected by unaccountable officers. And those who believe black people are expendable items at the hands of unaccountable cops will have had their fears strengthened. To be quite honest, it was another slap in the face for all those whose loved ones have died in similar cases.

These perceptions need to be changed. And if that means changing the evidential test, so be it – because cases such as these have to put before the court, rather than being dealt with behind closed doors by the prosecution service. In fact, the 2017 Lammy review questioned the impartiality of the CPS’s evidential test for black and minority cases. Therefore I believe, in the name of greater transparency and accountability, that the decision in the Charles case should be reviewed.

Rashan Charles. ‘His death last July shocked the black community.’ Photograph: MET Police

I’m a recently retired senior police officer. On watching the CCTV footage, I was not surprised to see Charles losing consciousness. However, I was very upset, like many others, to subsequently find out he had lost his life. On hearing the decision of the CPS – especially given the recommendation of the IPCC – I am not only disappointed but extremely concerned at the impact this might have on police-community relations.

Historically trust and confidence among black communities in the police are very low, particularly in boroughs subject to heavy-handed law enforcement and where there have been deaths in police contact. As a sergeant in Hackney, east London, during the 1990s – with the spectre of the Colin Roach death in Stoke Newington police station never far from our minds – it was clear to me that only reasonable force had to be used when dealing with suspects, even if they were aggressive. I passed on to my officers the importance of treating people with respect and dignity, in addition to acting with the utmost professionalism even in the face of extreme provocation. I continued with this ethos when I later returned to Hackney as a superintendent.

Having carried out stop-and-search, and supervised officers doing so, I would have to deal with suspects who would swallow objects, primarily believed to be drugs. When this occurred we would attempt to remove objects from their mouths, but would always consider the risk of choking or asphyxia, in addition to cardiac arrest brought on by excessive restraint. If the object could not be removed, then a person would be seen as in need of urgent medical attention and not just a suspect. We’d revert to first aid, and if necessary call in paramedics or a doctor, or transfer them straight to hospital. This is in line with instructions from the College of Policing.

In light of these considerations I have never been involved in a death associated with police contact. I always made it clear to my team that I prefer to lose evidence than lose a suspect’s life, which would also have a huge impact it has on the officer, their colleagues and the public.

I always made it clear to my team that I prefer to lose evidence than lose a suspect’s life

I know that in the heat of apprehending a suspect it’s difficult to manage all risks, but the force we use as professional officers has to be proportionate, accountable, necessary and, more importantly, legal. We have to have our training at the forefront of our minds; and we have to respect the suspect’s basic human rights.

As a result of the Charles case, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing have reviewed their guidance; and the Metropolitan police service has suspended the practice of officers removing objects from a person’s mouth. I greatly welcome this. However, the present evidential test has produced a CPS decision that adds insult to injury for the family and the wider black community. This will reduce trust and confidence, and have a negative impact on their relations with the police.

• Leroy Logan, a former Metropolitan police superintendent, is a former chair of the Black Police Association Charitable Trust