WATCH | Dorset Police Release Partial Bodycam Clip — But It’s Only Fuelled the Backlash Over PC Lorne Castle’s Sacking
We’ve included the video in this blog, along with expert breakdown, public reaction and unanswered questions exposing a leadership that appears to be more focused on optics
On 3 June, Dorset Police released a partial body-worn video (BWV) clip showing the moment PC Lorne Castle arrived at the scene of a reported assault. The incident, which resulted in PC Castle’s dismissal without notice, has sparked national outrage — not just over the outcome of the misconduct hearing but over the way the force appears to be managing the narrative in its aftermath.
This follow-up blog breaks down the video, the police press release, and the public reaction, offering a perspective grounded in real frontline experience responding to thousands of emergency calls in one of London’s busiest inner-city boroughs.
Dorset Police released the below two-minute body-worn camera clip. This is the footage they believe supports their decision. Watch it for yourself before reading on.
A Partial Clip That Raises More Questions Than It Answers?
Dorset Police’s decision to release a two-minute excerpt of body-worn footage — rather than the full recording — has only intensified public suspicion. While the force claims this was done to challenge misinformation, they have not specified what that misinformation actually is. It would have been far more helpful if they had clarified exactly what public claims they believe to be false. Instead, many are questioning why they chose not to publish the full context, including the radio transmissions & CAD incident details leading up to the incident and footage of the knife being recovered.
Their press release repeatedly refers to the suspect as a “child” and a “15-year-old boy.” But officers responding to violent incidents rarely, if ever, know a suspect’s exact age, and in this case, PC Castle would have had no way of knowing he was dealing with a 15-year-old. What he did know was that members of the public had called 999 asking for help and reporting an alleged assault, and that no other unit was available to attend. He did what officers are trained to do — he took control of the situation as soon as he arrived on the scene.
It’s a strange tactic, and not the first time we’ve seen this kind of narrative shaping. The IOPC has faced criticism in the past for describing individuals as “children” or “boys” during use-of-force reviews, even when the officers involved couldn’t have known their age. Are officers now expected to pause in the middle of a potentially volatile and dangerous situation to confirm how old someone is before intervening?
When suspects are clearly in their mid to late teens, the idea that a police officer should somehow verify age before going hands-on is simply unrealistic — and dangerous.
Command Presence and a Difficult Arrest
The footage shows PC Castle asserting command presence in a fast-moving situation. While three individuals are visible on the body-worn video, it’s unclear how many others were present off-camera. Just eight seconds into the clip, the suspect appears to strike Castle with a clenched fist to the upper body — a moment that can clearly be seen when the footage is played back. As the struggle begins, Castle’s tone escalates. The language is strong, and many observers — including those with policing experience — accept that he momentarily lost his cool.
According to Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell, “Officers do a tough job and when their actions are proportionate, necessary and reasonable they will always be supported.” But the misconduct panel themselves found that the force used by PC Castle was, in fact, proportionate, necessary and reasonable.
So, which part of that principle no longer applies here? If the force used met the very threshold the deputy chief constable says earns support from the organisation, then how has this officer ended up dismissed?
The truth is that the entire decision hinged on tone and courtesy — not violence, not misconduct in the use of force — and that’s precisely what has sparked such outrage from both the policing family and the wider public.
At 35 seconds, Castle gives a lawful instruction: “Roll over.” The suspect resists. Castle continues to issue commands. The footage shows him requesting backup, highlighting that other individuals on the scene were potentially becoming hostile — another crucial detail omitted from the police press release. PC Castle clearly perceived a threat; otherwise, why would he have asked for backup?
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Expert and Public Commentary: Overwhelming Support
Retired officers and policing experts have spoken out. Phill Matthews, former conduct lead for the Police Federation, and now known online as @conduct_phill said:
“As an experienced cop and conduct advocate, context is key. Now I wasn’t privy to the hearing but viewing this, it doesn’t appear to fit the definition of gross misconduct at all. This is Reflective Practice or Unsatisfactory Performance all day long, Misconduct at worst!”
He added:
“Control is the goal’ as they say in training. It can be clearly heard that he is told he’s under arrest straight away. The officer immediately controls both arms (you would where you suspect a weapon). The youth resists! The result is mostly down to the detainee’s actions!”
Mike Pannett, a well-known former police officer and author who goes by @MikePannett on X, also weighed in:
“This was the arrest of a youth armed with a knife who had assaulted an elderly victim. This is a highly charged situation for the officer who dominated and took full control of an offender not complying. These are street skills with strong language used. Disgraceful sacking.”
Public sentiment reflects the same view. The official Dorset Police video post is awash with hundreds of comments from outraged citizens. Here are just some of the most-liked responses:
“You didn’t release the part where the lad dropped the knife?”
“Dorset Police you are no better than the BBC, releasing edited footage that you hope fits your narrative. Tell us the whole story or stay quiet and accept the public have seen through you. We’re sick of weak apologists running our police forces. We want to see real leaders again.”
“Why haven’t you published the hearing report? Why have you published this video but NOT the witness statements that describe the hostile crowd forming around this brave officer? Why has his colleague not been disciplined for standing there doing nothing?”
“Won’t be long and comments will be blocked… they think they’re showing us how bad the cop is when in fact it’s what we want from our cops!”
“You probably just sacked your best cop… You’re going to become the laughing stock of the Policing world.”
“Nothing wrong with this. The kid had a knife and was resisting arrest. You sacked another experienced cop over some hurty words. Pathetic.”
These aren’t fringe views. They reflect the overwhelming response from the people Dorset Police claim to be reassuring.
Before the footage was released, we ran a poll on our X account asking whether people thought PC Castle should have lost his job. Out of 1,064 respondents, 97 per cent said no. Now that Dorset Police has released a portion of the body-worn video, we’re running a second poll (scroll down) this time inviting the public to watch the footage for themselves and give their view.
To ensure the widest possible response, we’re asking readers to share this blog with friends, family, and colleagues — especially those who have never worked in the emergency services. The new poll can be found at the bottom of this blog.
A Fundraiser That Tells Its Own Story
At the time of writing, just under £45,000 has been raised for the Castle family. Donations are still coming in thick and fast — a public vote of confidence in PC Castle and an emphatic rejection of how he’s been treated.
If the BWV clip was intended to reassure the public, it has done the opposite. It’s only confirmed what most already believed: this wasn’t an act of gross misconduct, instead, it was an officer doing a tough job under pressure, in a country grappling with rising violence.
The crowdfunding campaign for the Lorne Family has almost reached £50,000.
Final Thoughts: The Real Disconnect?
Dorset Police say they want to counter misinformation, but they haven’t cited any specific claims or examples. What exactly is the public getting wrong? What are they supposedly being misled about? If transparency is genuinely the goal, why haven’t they released the full body-worn video? Why have they withheld the radio transmissions or the incident log (CAD) detailing the information passed to PC Castle before he even arrived? These are not state-protected TS Strap 2 secrets. They are crucial pieces of context that would allow the public to understand how and why decisions were made by PC Castle in those critical first moments.
Instead, what we appear to be witnessing is a force more preoccupied with placating sections of the media and the 'anti police brigade of professional bystanders' than with defending the brave officers who put themselves in harm’s way. PC Castle’s dismissal feels less like a consequence of misconduct and more like a sacrificial offering to appease a narrative.
The wider danger here is that senior officers across the country may be falling into the same trap.
They read critical headlines, absorb social media outrage, and convince themselves that the public mood is anti-police. But, when it comes to how officers deal with potentially violent suspects it’s not. Most people in this country are sick of the violence. Sick of the stabbings. Sick of feeling unsafe on streets they used to walk without fear. What they want is a police force that’s empowered to act — firmly, fairly and decisively.
That’s what PC Castle did. He showed up at the end of his shift when no one else was available. He dealt with a volatile, knife-carrying male and established control in a tense, outnumbered situation. He used strong language and arguably lost his cool momentarily, but he got the job done, and no one was injured. If that level of command presence is now a sackable offence, then the question must be asked: what kind of officers do we want on our front lines? Because the public know what they want. And it’s clearly officers like Lorne Castle.
Let your voice be heard. Because one thing is clear — if our police forces keep turning on their own, they’ll soon find themselves with no one left to do the job.
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Good on PC Lorne taking a knife carrying youth off the streets - BUT does he get lauded - NO.
The right thinking Public are behind him all the way. WE NEED POLICE OFFICERS LIKE HIM,
Good luck to him and all right thinking Officers, but keep Safe.