By James Jeune,Trinity Roads Committee

Copyright jerseyeveningpost

A COMPLAINT made against the States of Jersey Police in relation to a collision which left a 14-year-old cyclist in hospital has seen 61 allegations upheld after it was independently investigated by a UK force at a cost of more than £80,000, the JEP can reveal.

The States police has said it is “committed to maintaining public trust through transparency, accountability, and adherence to the highest professional standards”, after the outcome of the complaint was laid bare in response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Law.

The complaint relates to the handling of an incident that occurred in March 2020, when teenager Freddie Dentskevich was left seriously injured after being hit by a van.

Lodged in 2021, the complaint was independently investigated by the Devon and Cornwall Police.

A hearing then took place on 13 August this year, which led to 61 allegations being upheld and 12 officers being identified as having some involvement or supervisory responsibility.

Of these, it was determined that two should face a formal misconduct hearing, which has now taken place and is “subject to an ongoing appeal process”, according to police.

Meanwhile, the investigation determined that the service level of 10 officers was “not acceptable”.

Four were given “reflective feedback for learning”, while one faced “no further action” and the other five officers identified had either retired or left the force.

In a statement to the JEP, the States of Jersey Police said it takes all complaints “extremely seriously”.

“We are committed to maintaining public trust through transparency, accountability, and adherence to the highest professional standards,” the statement continued.

“This investigation centred on a complaint relating to a serious injury sustained in a road traffic collision (RTC) in 2020.

“The collision did not involve a police driver, and the investigation into the complaint independently determined two officers should be subject to a misconduct hearing.”

The investigation was carried out independently by the Devon and Cornwall Police under the formal oversight of the Jersey Police Complaints Authority (JPCA).

“This approach ensured impartiality and procedural fairness throughout,” the States police statement added.

The force noted that the investigation spanned approximately four years, during which time some officers retired or left the organisation “for reasons unrelated to the complaint”.

The response to the Freedom of Information request stated that the cost of the investigation was “still pending receipt of final invoices from Devon and Cornwall and local advocates providing advice”.

However, a separate request made under the FoI Law last year showed that, as of December 2024, £83,549.37 had been spent on an independent investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police into a complaint against SoJP – the only one involving an external force in the past five years.

“External police forces are often commissioned to investigate certain cases to ensure impartiality and thoroughness. This practice is particularly important for maintaining public trust and confidence in the police complaints system and is overseen by the Jersey Police Complaints Authority,” the response stated.

Freddie Dentskevich was knocked off his bicycle at a junction in St Martin in March 2020.

His mother, Joanna, has since campaigned for better protections for vulnerable road users – including through an online petition that garnered thousands of signatures calling for changes to the Island’s road traffic laws.

In 2023, an Islander was accused of causing serious injury while driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, but the case was dropped later that year after a review by a road traffic investigator concluded that there was “insufficient evidence for a realistic chance of conviction”.