Complaints over police conduct at Lacock hunt clash assessed

Complaints about police conduct at a Boxing Day hunt which turned violent are being assessed, the Office of the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has said.

Anti-hunt protestors and members of the Avon Vale Hunt clashed in Lacock, at about 11:00 GMT on Monday.

Wiltshire Police had officers at the scene. No arrests have been made.

The OPCC said it is assessing whether any of the correspondence received constitutes an "eligible complaint".

For it to be eligible, the complainant has "to be someone who has directly witnessed the incident or who is directly affected by it", an OPCC spokesperson added.

In a statement released on Thursday, the spokesperson confirmed that "any correspondence received about the conduct of Wiltshire Police relating to this incident is in the process of being assessed by the OPCC complaints team".

"This will ensure investigative independence and oversight," it added.

"All correspondence will be handled in a fair, open and honest way and will be handled as efficiently as possible, with correspondents being advised of the outcome.

"Should a legally eligible complaint be confirmed as made then the official complaints process will be followed."

After footage of the violent clashes went viral, Wiltshire Police began conducting "extensive enquiries to identify those involved", it said.

The force has already confirmed that it had received a "number of calls" about the incident.

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