We'll nick you now and I will make your day a living hell, 'cause you'll be in that cell all day': Police officer swore and threatened to lock man up for photographing crash scene Aggressive officer confronted man taking pictures after a road accident An elderly woman had been hit by a car in Churchdown, Gloucestershire The photographer said anyone injured had left scene and police tape lifted Officer, who said he was Sgt Tony Wallace, swore at the photographer, 26 He threatened to arrest him, adding: 'You're lucky I didn't knock you out' Online footage of confrontation has been viewed more than 10,000 times Gloucestershire police commissioner Martin Surl condemns the officer A bullying sergeant who threatened to lock up a man for taking pictures of a dented car after a road smash has been condemned by a police commissioner. The traffic officer, who gave his name as Sgt Tony Wallace, seized the 26-year-old photographer's camera as he took pictures of the aftermath of an accident and told him: 'You're lucky I didn't knock you out.' He approached the man at the scene of the car smash in Churchdown, Gloucestershire, swore at him, and told him he would arrest him for obstructing a police officer, threatening to 'make your day a living hell'. Today Gloucestershire Police Commissioner Martin Surl said the officer appeared to have 'fallen far short of the behaviour expected and required' by the police. The incident began when the photographer, who does not wish to be named, took photographs of a damaged car after an accident involving an elderly woman, who had been taken to hospital before he got there. An hour later, the photographer walked past a dented car still at the scene, and was taking some photographs of it from the other side of the road when he was approached by Sgt Wallace. The policeman's aggressive attitude prompted him to film the episode on his mobile phone, and he later posted the footage on YouTube. The clip begins with the caption: 'He takes the camera out of my hands, gets right in my face to the point where he's spitting at me, swears at me several times, says the camera is being seized and I am going to be arrested for obstructing a police officer. 'After about a minute or two of this confrontation I got my phone out but was afraid he would seize this too. However he didn't, and I began filming in a subtle way.' The Scottish-sounding officer is recorded telling the photographer: 'We'll nick you now and I will make your day a living hell, cause you'll be in that cell all day. 'What I'll probably do is I will ask for you to be remanded in custody and I will put you before the magistrate.... and they'll be like, what a t** you've been.' The officer can also be heard telling the photographer: 'You're lucky that I didn't knock you out. I swore at you, yeah. It got your attention, though, didn't it?' The sergeant seized the man's camera, told him he had to delete the images on it, and then stood over him as he scrolled through them before agreeing he could keep them all. The man, who insists he only began taking pictures long after anyone injured in the accident had left the scene, later posted a 12-minute clip of the confrontation online. In the film, he stressed he had no knowledge of what had happened in the accident, and said he was merely taking photographs of a damaged car once the police tape around the scene had been removed. Today Gloucestershire police said the officer involved was now facing a misconduct probe. Mr Surl, a former police superintendent with Gloucestershire constabulary before he became Commissioner, said he had asked the force to investigate the matter 'with the utmost urgency'. He said: 'It appears the officer involved has fallen far short of the behaviour expected and required by the Constabulary.

• published: 07 Jan 2014
• views: 3850