By Officers under attack in Scunthorpe
An altercation in Scunthorpe which one Humberside Police officer described as “one of the most frightening” of her career featured on yesterday’s episode of the Channel 5 documentary series Police Code Zero.
The incident occurred on May 24, 2019, after reports were received from the public, claiming that a man with a weapon had been seen on Southfield Road.
PC Emma Beck and PC James Dixon were the first to attend the scene.
They found man, who has not been identified, with a tape measure wrapped around his fist, nunchucks down his trousers and a length of wood.
The culprit was well known to the officers, who quickly moved in to speak to him and recover the weapons.
As they attempted to arrest the man so they could safely retrieve the weapons, the crowd turned on them.
Officers found themselves being surrounded, pushed, held back and grabbed by local residents, who encouraged the man to run.
Back-up was called, but events quickly escalated, becoming more hostile.
An officer was physically assaulted, and three people were charged.
Lynda Stimson, now 34, admitted assaulting PC Moody and obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty.
She was fined £200 and ordered to pay £50 compensation.
Carly O’Brien, now 30, and Louis Clark, 38, both admitted obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty.
They were each fined £100.
The entire incident was caught on video via a police body camera.
In the show, the officers talked candidly about the psychological impact of the incident on themselves and their loved ones.
PC Kayleigh Moody said:
“I was shocked and disgusted at what happened that day.
“We were responding to calls saying there was an armed man and we are doing our best to keep everyone safe.
“I was upset at the way my colleagues were being treated but what I found most appalling was the number of small children who were allowed to be in the middle of the worst affray I have ever seen in my life.
“I have to say, I was really proud of the way we all came together to deal with what happened that day – every available officer was there, supporting each other and making sure that the people who weren’t involved were okay. It gives you goose pimples.
“For the first couple of days after the incident we were running on adrenalin. Everyone was talking about what had happened.
“Waiting to hear whether the woman who assaulted me would be charged was a bit nerve racking but after the decision had been made and the dust settled, you just start thinking ‘what the..?’
“I just can’t understand what she was thinking. What made it worse was that she made a complaint about me after the incident. That has been resolved and there was no case to answer but it still wasn’t nice.
“I had 15 years as a frontline officer but after that incident it made me realise I had had enough and I’ve now transferred into another area of the force.
“What has been really humbling is that since it’s been publicised that we’re going to be featured on Police Code Zero, so many people have been in touch or posted supportive comments.
“It’s been really overwhelming and we’ve been really touched to see that the majority of people believe that this kind of thing shouldn’t happen to coppers and that they support us.
“That makes the job worthwhile.”
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