Sussex Police Federation calls for review of five-year IOPC investigation

22 July 2024

Sussex Police Federation has called for a comprehensive review into a five-year IOPC investigation that led to the officer in question being completely exonerated of all accusations.

Former officer Louie Wellfare has now left policing entirely – a substantial factor in his decision to resign was the burden of stress he faced during the investigation.

PC Wellfare had faced allegations related to his driving on 17th July 2019 when he was responding with blue lights to an emergency call, during which his marked police car was in collision with a taxi and led to a pedestrian being injured.

The IOPC decided to take on the investigation and the former officer was charged with causing injury by dangerous driving.

During the trial at Brighton Crown Court in 2022, it was clear that PC Wellfare was not at fault for what happened that day and other parties involved were the cause of the incident. As a result, the case was thrown out of court following a successful application of no case to answer.

The IOPC then decided to pursue the officer under conduct Regulations and utilise the balance of probabilities to decide his fate.

That investigation lasted a further two years, and having been through the gross misconduct process, earlier this month the case against former PC Wellfare was thrown out and the panel dismissed the case as not proven.

Sussex Police Federation Chair Raffaele Cioffi described the unnecessary and lengthy IOPC investigation as a waste of public money and called for a review of why former PC Wellfare was put through such a lengthy and protracted investigation when he had no case to answer.

Raffaele said: “We have now brought an officer through five years of hell, during which time he has suffered both physically and mentally. It has pressured the officer into making the tough decision to resign from policing and start fresh in a new career where he can leave this witch hunt to take place in the background.

“The IOPC have wasted the public’s money on a gross misconduct hearing that simply didn’t need to take place, which is an appallingly wasteful decision.

“Will the appalling handling of this case be reviewed and responsibility taken by the IOPC decision maker – as would happen in the police? Probably not, as it seems the IOPC are above criticism

“My sympathies go out to former PC Wellfare in this matter. Our officers are doing an incredible job defending the public against those that choose to do harm. It is right that we are scrutinised when incidents like this happen, but it must be proportionate.

“The IOPC in this case have shown their discontent with officers and simply wasted the public money. It is time to fully review the IOPC as they are far from independent and on this occasion have acted inappropriately. They have ruined a life, and ripped a decent police officer from the streets. It is time for us to stop seeing such pointless hearing as this.”