Man on hunger strike outside Aylesbury Police Station over treatment

A man who is unhappy with how he says the police treated him has gone on a hunger strike outside the force's Aylesbury station.

Malcolm Potts says that officers were heavy handed with him during an arrest in 2012 for which he was never charged.

He says that he suffered injuries during the arrest and wants the police to accept that this happened. From the start of last week, Mr Potts has sat outside the Wendover Road station, and has reduced his intake to just a single can of cola a day. He says that he would happily stand down from the protest if the police meet with him to go over his claims.

He said: “Aylesbury Police have facilitated my protest, given me a dedicated parking space for my camper, assigned a dedicated police liason officer, video record all intereactions with me and take notes, have a duty sergeant and another police officer with a body cam and a mental health nurse visit me, and offer me food, drink and facilities to warm myself. I find it incredible that they do all this, yet will not spare a couple of hours to resolve the real issue.”

He added that he would welcome being contacted by a solicitor who would be willing to help him as he cannot affordlegal assistance.

Police Ch Supt Steve Hockin, said: “Mr Potts made a complaint to Thames Valley Police in 2013 about excessive use of force during his arrest in 2012. We take all complaints such as this very seriously and Mr Potts’ complaint was investigated fully. It was found that there was no case to answer.

“Mr Potts has decided to protest and we are respecting his right to do so. We have been in communication with him for a number of months and are facilitating his protest while considering Mr Potts’ safety, the prevention and detection of crime, maintaining the peace and ensuring the police station and services continue to be available to the public. We have been working with health professionals to ensure Mr Potts is kept safe during his protest.”

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