The police watchdog is investigating Scotland Yard’s stop and searches of a teenager in the years before he died in a collision while apparently being pursued by police.
Henry Hicks, 18, rode off on his Vespa scooter after he was approached by the Metropolitan police, who are believed to have been following him when he subsequently hit a civilian car. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has appealed for information regarding the behaviour of police officers towards Hicks during stop and searches between October 2011 and his death in December 2014.
The move is part of an investigation launched by the IPCC following a complaint from Hicks’s family over the Met’s dealings with the teenager before his death.
Investigators are examining allegations, made by Hicks’s family, that between October 2011 and December 2014 Met officers behaved in an unprofessional way in their dealings with Hicks and during a search of his family home.
IPCC commissioner Jennifer Izekor said: “It is incredibly important that Henry’s friends and the local Islington community help us build up a picture of police interaction with Mr Hicks before his death.
“If you were with Henry on any of the occasions between October 2011 and December 2014 when he was subjected to a stop and search you may be able to provide invaluable information and our independent investigators need to hear from you.”
Four Met officers were served with gross misconduct notices as part of the IPCC’s separate investigation into police actions leading up to Hicks’s death.
Misconduct notices do not imply guilt but are used to inform officers that their behaviour and conduct are under investigation.
The initial investigation looked at Hicks’s interaction with the police on the day of his death, whether a pursuit took place, whether officers complied with police policies on stopping people on scooters and how Hicks came to crash his scooter.
Investigators have concluded this inquiry and are in the process of compiling a final report.
