Teen race-hate probe 'could have been quicker'
BBCMore could have been done to speed up an investigation into an online video showing an alleged racist hate crime against a child, a police chief has said.
No charges have been brought a year after the circulation of the footage which appeared to show a black teenage boy in Carlisle being pushed and punched by a white boy before being made to kiss his shoes.
Four boys were arrested and released on bail.
Rob Carden, chief constable of Cumbria Police, described the case as complex but said the force's work "could have been a lot quicker".
His comments follow criticism by Niall McNulty, of Anti Racist Cumbria, who said 12 months was a "long time" for the family of the youngster to wait for some form of outcome.
The video was recorded on 15 March 2024 in the Upperby area of Carlisle and involved at least one child from St John Henry Newman Catholic School.
Charge decision 'imminent'
Speaking to BBC Radio Cumbria's Steph Finnon, Mr Carden said the incident was "deeply disturbing" and it had been "appalling to hear what the young boy had to go through".
Asked whether his force's response had been appropriate, he replied: "The case itself is more complex than you might expect. There have been multiple lines of inquiry and people to speak to.
"We provided a file for the CPS in November, it came back to us to do more work. It's been with the CPS [again] since January.
"A decision is imminent, but from a policing perspective we could have done more to speed that up. It could have been a lot quicker."
Mr Carden disputed Mr McNulty's suggestion that it could have been dealt with at the same speed as people charged with online-related crimes following the deaths of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, last summer and subsequent riots across the country.
"I don't think you can compare it to some of the online crimes that took place in the summer," Mr Corden said.
"They were far more simple to deal with.
"There are opportunities to improve.
"To make sure we give victims of crime the confidence to come to us and seek help, we've got to be as good as we can [at Cumbria Police] and we haven't been on this occasion."
Earlier this week, Anti Racist Cumbria said there should be a system in place to deal with such cases more quickly and "more effectively".