Officer not disciplined so quickly

I must protest on your reporting of the incident in which the police officer from Sheffield hit a woman he was trying to arrest, Shropshire Star, March 8. Your heading stated "Officer who hit black women disciplined".

Firstly, he has not been disciplined, nor could he be formally disciplined so quickly. Formal discipline proceedings can only take place after an investigation and a file being submitted to the Deputy Chief Constable.

If found guilty the officer can be fined quite a large sum of money, demoted, dismissed or subjected to lesser punishments.

These are very formal legal proceedings which take quite a while to mount. Your report was therefore inaccurate.

Secondly, your report was very one-sided against the officer. The use of the term "brute force" is very emotive.

You did not mention the woman was drunk, or that she was trying to sexually assault the officer, so he alleges, was being violent and resisting arrest.

Finally, why mention her colour?

It should not be an issue unless it is alleged that she was hit because she was black. This has not been alleged.

Richard Camp, Wellington