Two Dorset Police officers have been given written warnings after persuading a man to admit drugs found during an arrest were his.

An armed response unit attended the address in Blandford to arrest the man in connection with other offences in May 2018. Body worn video showed the man was apprehended, handcuffed, cautioned and asked to sit on a sofa in the lounge of the property.

One of the officers found a small bag of cannabis on the table of the property and along with another officer, encouraged the man to admit to possessing it so as not to get the property owner in trouble.

The man was charged with possession of cannabis as well as other offences, but the drugs charge was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out an investigation after a referral was made by Dorset Police in August 2018, with the findings published yesterday.

IOPC regional director Catrin Evans said: “It is clear from the evidence gathered that the man did not freely admit to possessing the cannabis and was coerced by two of the officers who attended the address.

“While their actions did not support a claim of bullying, the behaviour fell below the standards expected of police officers.

"By encouraging the man into admission the officers did not respect his rights, and the evidence was later deemed potentially inadmissible and the CPS decided to discontinue prosecution of this offence.”

The footage showed that one of the officers asked the man to “cough the cannabis” so that the homeowner would not get into trouble, and the man nodded. The man asked what would happen if he admitted to possession of cannabis, and the officer replied, “f*** all”. The officers also told the man that that they would have to contact social services if the cannabis belonged to the homeowner, because children were living in the property.

The man was later charged with possession of cannabis due to the admissions apparently made at the scene. During interview he denied the cannabis was his and said, “I was basically bullied into saying ‘yeah it’s mine’.”

The interviewing officers raised this matter with their supervisor and the matter was referred to us in August 2018 as a mandatory conduct referral.

The IOPC said while the man claimed to have been bullied and pressurised by the officers, body-worn video appeared to show some brief interaction and attempted persuasion for him to accept responsibility for the cannabis, which did not support the officers’ actions as being threatening, persistent or bullying in tone.

Ms Evans said: "After reviewing our report, Dorset Police advised that all three officers would receive management action regarding the use of body worn video and the need to evidentially capture the full interaction or incident before it is turned off.

"The force agreed that the two officers had a case to answer for misconduct.

"Both attended misconduct meetings, where misconduct was proven. They received written warnings."

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, of Dorset Police, said: “We recognise the actions of the officers involved fell below the high standards that we set for those who represent our force.

“Dorset Police has co-operated fully with the IOPC investigation and we have also taken our own internal actions against the officers, which resulted in written warnings.

“We understand that the public places trust in our officers to adhere to certain standards in their conduct when they are executing their duty.

"We will ensure that when these standards are not met that appropriate action is taken.”