Surrey Police in England is facing criticism after arresting a mother. Amanda Brown, 50, got arrested after taking away her daughters’ iPads. The incident happened in Cobham on March 26, the Daily Mirror reported.
Amanda, a history teacher, said she was left shocked and traumatised after being kept in a police cell for several hours. She had taken the iPads from her daughters as a punishment.
A man at her home, believed to be her partner or relative, called the police and reported the iPads as stolen.
Two police officers came to her house to check a “concern for safety” complaint. When the man reported the iPads missing, the police traced them using tracking technology and found them at Amanda’s other property.
The police asked Amanda to return the iPads, but she refused. Then, the police arrested her on suspicion of theft.
Amanda was taken to Staines Police Station where she was kept in custody. She said police acted in an “overreacting” and “unprofessional” way.
The mother was fingerprinted and photographed “like a criminal”. Amanda was upset that the police even spoke harshly to her 80-year-old mother.
After a three-hour wait, Amanda’s solicitor was informed. Police later confirmed the iPads belonged to Amanda’s daughters and that she, as their mother, had every right to take them away.
Amanda was released on bail. Nevertheless, she was asked not to contact her daughters during the investigation.
Amanda said the entire situation was unnecessary and handled badly. She believes the police should have realised early on that this was a family matter, not a criminal case.
The next day, police closed the case when it became clear Amanda owned the iPads through her children. All bail conditions were removed.
Surrey Police accepted that Amanda had the right to confiscate the iPads but did not apologise for the stress caused. They claimed their officers had followed the correct procedures.
Former Police Commissioner Anthony Stansfield criticised the police for not apologising.
What police said
Chief Superintendent Aimee Ramm explained that the police had initially gone to Amanda’s house over a safety concern. They arrested her only because she refused to cooperate when asked to return the iPads.
During the whole incident, paramedics were also called because of the concern for safety. Police even visited Amanda’s daughter’s school, but only to check on their safety.
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