‘If you looked up breach of the peace in a dictionary you would find his picture’ – but no arrest after man attacks police

POLICE officers have been asked to explain why they did not arrest a hooligan hurling foul-mouthed abuse at them for more than five minutes.

Footage of the incident shows the man shouting and swearing at officers, running on to a busy road to confront them, and smashing his hands on to the bonnet of a police van before opening the door while trying to film inside.

Up to seven officers were at the scene in Bonhill, West Dunbartonshire, when the man – identified only as Chris – was allowed to continue his tirade unchecked before they drove off and left him still screaming abuse at them.

Senior officers at Dumbarton Police Office have asked the shift supervisors to explain their apparent reluctance to arrest the man, who appeared to be out of control.

One former officer, who has seen the footage, said: “It is quite incredible to see and, for someone who was in the job for many years, almost unbelievable that this was allowed to happen and continue to happen.

“A breach of the peace is anything that causes alarm or a disturbance. This guy was a one-man disturbance. You could look up breach of the peace and find his picture!

“But the lack of action by the officers will cause people most alarm. It is an abject, quite pathetic display. I was embarrassed watching it.”

The confrontation came as the man remonstrated with officers over the earlier arrest of a younger man. He loudly and repeatedly accuses one “baldy polis guy” of challenging him to a fight.

The footage posted on YouTube last week shows the officers apparently losing control. At one point, the man recklessly runs into the road to try to reach a police van when cars were forced to slow to avoid him.

Continuing his four-letter rant, he then approaches another police van, banging on the bonnet with his hands screaming for their “badge numbers right now”. He then forces the door open and attempts to film one of the officers inside. Eventually they drive off as he continues to hurl abuse at their departure.

Last night, James Chalmers, Regius professor of law at the University of Glasgow, said incidents like this could result in heavier-handed police tactics in the future.

“On the one hand it is bound to make the police more cautious, on the other they are always going to have to make a decision in this sort of situation whether there is any point in arresting the guy,” he said.

“If they don’t think he is a danger to the public – and the film makes it look like all he wants to do is scream at the police – then lifting him might just be a waste of time.

“However if the police think footage like this is making them look bad it might actually result in a more heavy-handed approach in the future.”

Chief Inspector Graeme MacDiarmid, of Police Scotland, said the video footage only partially covered “a prolonged incident”.

“We are currently conducting further inquiries to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.