IOPC: Met should investigate itself over ‘Putney pusher’ suspect
The man’s family welcomed the decision and said the investigation should be “thorough, independent and unflinching in establishing what went wrong”.
The Metropolitan Police’s own Directorate of Professional Standards should investigate the force’s contact with a “Putney pusher” suspect who was found dead, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has decided.
In a statement on 25 September, the watchdog said it had recommended that the investigation look at matters including “the necessity and proportionality of arrest” and “what engagement was there with the media”.
Also among those matters are the consideration given to the man’s welfare and the relevant policy.
“Should the investigation conclude without identifying any potential misconduct for any officer involved, the force’s final investigation report must be submitted to the IOPC for review, to ensure independent oversight,” the statement added.
The man had been arrested in June in connection with an incident on Putney Bridge in May 2017, in which a jogger pushed a woman into the path of an oncoming bus.
Released after the arrest but still under investigation, the 44-year-old was found dead at home in west London on 15 September.
The family insist the man was not the jogger, and blame the “immense pressure” of the Met’s investigation for the death.
The Met made a mandatory referral to the watchdog on 16 September over officers’ earlier contact with the man.
Police forces in England and Wales must refer “the most serious incidents” to the IOPC whether or not anyone has complained, the watchdog’s website says.
When the IOPC decides an investigation is necessary, it can use its own investigators, direct and control one using police resources, or leave the work to the force’s own professional standards department.
The watchdog received around 7,000 referrals from the police in 2024-25. The majority are not investigated independently.
The 25 September statement did not say why the IOPC had decided against using its own investigators.
Separately, the Met said on 17 September that its investigation into the Putney Bridge incident remained ongoing.
An inquest into the death was opened at West London Coroner’s Court on 22 September and suspended after coroner Melanie Lee was told of the referral.