Ex-officer who shared arrest video with mum banned
BBCA former special constable sent body-worn camera footage of an arrest to his mum, a panel has heard.
Alexandre De Freitas resigned from Cumbria Police after he was found to have sent videos showing him "scuffling with a man during an arrest" via WhatsApp on 6 October 2023.
De Freitas said he sent two recordings to his mum to reassure her that he was not hurt.
The misconduct hearing found his behaviour was "seriously inappropriate" and had he not already left the force, he would have been barred from policing.
In his misconduct interview in 2023, De Freitas admitted using his personal mobile phone to record footage showing the scuffle on 5 October 2023.
The panel heard how he spoke to his mum, telling her he was "upset and disappointed" that the assault had not been recorded as a crime.
De Freitas said his mum was worried and to reassure her and preserve the footage, he sent it to her.
He said that he reported the assault to the duty supervisor on his return to the station.
The panel noted that the supervisor did not recall De Freitas reporting the issue and was actually sick and absent from work on this date.
The hearing heard that the former officer "accepted that he should not have shared the footage as he did" but added that he was not equipped to deal with the situation because he did not have enough training.
System misuse
The panel found that De Freitas, who resigned in June 2024, "knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that sharing the material was not permitted".
His training did cover confidentiality and the responsibilities and accountability of officers when using material gained during work, the panel said.
"Instead of taking clear, professional steps to ensure the assault was recorded, he stepped outside of his role and resorted to system misuse," the panel said.
"The officer concerned would have been dismissed if he had not ceased to be a member of a police force," the panel found.
He was placed on the College of Policing Barred list.
