Police have responded to calls made for body-worn camera footage to be released following the death of Moyied Bashir.
The 29-year-old died at The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran at about 11.40am on Wednesday, February 17, approximately two hours after police responded to a report of concern for the 29-year-old's welfare. Mr Bashir's brother, Mohamed Bashir, led a march through Pillgwenlly, Newport, the following day.
Black Lives Matter Gwent, a local anti-racism campaign group, has called on authorities to release body-worn camera footage to the public in a "timely manner". You can read their full statement below.
A spokesperson for the group added: "Whilst we understand there is a process in these type of situations, we don't want it to be drawn out longer than necessary. The community and the public interest should come before bureaucratic processes."
A petition to release the footage has drawn more than 4,000 signatures since going live. Now, Gwent Police has released a statement concerning the footage, and explaining that nine officers attended the incident.
Chief Superintendent Tom Harding, said: "Everyone at Gwent Police takes any loss of life extremely seriously and I wish to offer the family and friends of Moyied Bashir, who died this week our sincere condolences.
"This is a tragic death. We have been and will continue to co-operate fully with the investigation which the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is carrying out.
"The IOPC was contacted promptly after Moyied Bashir's death and they quickly began their own independent investigation. The IOPC investigators are professionals, who are not the police or the government. It is right that when anyone dies following contact with the police that it is investigated fully and that there is a thorough and transparent process to establish the facts.
"We are only able to police our communities with their ongoing help and support and it is vital that we do all we can to maintain their confidence."
He added: "To confirm, on Wednesday, February 17, we attended a property in Maesglas following a 999-emergency call. An ambulance was called and Mr Bashir was transferred to hospital, where he sadly died.
"Nine officers had responded to the incident prior to the ambulance arriving, and as a result took part in post-incident procedures which is in keeping with standard practice in such cases. This process was overseen by the IPOC.
"All uniformed officers in Gwent Police carry body-worn videos and the footage from this incident has been handed over in full to the IOPC and will form part of their investigation.
"There have been, understandably, calls from the community for us to release this footage publicly, however this footage is now owned by the IOPC and as such it is not Gwent Police's to release.
"I understand that there is a high level of concern within our community, and we appreciate their patience in allowing the IOPC to conduct their investigation and I am confident that they understand the community's concerns and will report their findings as soon as they are able.
"We will continue to co-operate fully with their investigation."
