Hertfordshire Police have paid out £20,000 in damages after admitting to the unlawful arrest of Bushey councillor Maxie Allen and his partner Rosalind Levine.
Six officers turned up to the family’s home on January 29, 2025, after the couple made complaints about their daughter’s primary school.
According to The Times, Cowley Hill Primary School had banned Maxie and Rosalind from entering the grounds after they had questioned the recruitment process for a headteacher and criticised the leadership in a WhatsApp group for parents.
The couple said they had emailed the school following the ban to address the needs of their daughter, who has epilepsy and is neurodivergent.
A police officer reportedly issued a warning to the family in December 2025, telling them to take their daughter out of school, which they did the next month.
But a week after that, Maxie said six police officers turned up at his home.
It was an “emotional moment” for the parents when the police admitted liability to wrongfully holding the couple for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications.
Speaking to BUSHEYnews, Maxie said: “We are pleased the constabulary have recognised, albeit belatedly, that this operation should never have taken place.
“Free speech is a fundamental right. Everyone is entitled to air their views about a public authority without fear of being arrested.”
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police said: “The legal test around necessity of arrest was not met in this instance but there were no issues of misconduct involving any officer.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: “There has clearly been a fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn’t have become a police matter.”
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