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Video footage has emerged of a Royal Mail postman being stopped and searched by police while on his rounds in north London.
Jamie Dragon, 34, was out delivering in uniform when officers rifled through his pockets and letters – to which he replied: ‘PC Plod searching Postman Pat.’
The clip, which police say was filmed in 2017 in Archway, has now been viewed millions of times on social media.
Footage shows several male and female police on the scene, with one officer heard quoting ‘section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act’.
But Jamie claims: ‘I was just minding my own business delivering mail like I did every day. I don’t even know how it started.
‘They had asked me what I was doing, and I just asked what they thought I was doing – I was delivering mail.
‘I decided to get out my phone and video it and was asking why they were harassing me at work and saying it was wrong.’
He continued: ‘I was saying that I wasn’t even off route, and I said they could look at the addresses on the letters in my hand and look at the address on the door.’
Jamie decided to post the video on social media recently to ‘show the world’ what had happened.
He said: ‘I was quite p***ed off at the time to be honest. Then they said that I was going to be detained.
‘At first I laughed at him because it was so ridiculous. I wasn’t putting up a fight or being argumentative.
‘I was cooperating and I even put out my hands to let him put on his handcuffs. I was just so shocked – I wasn’t even being rude or anything.’
Jamie does tell the officers to ‘f*** off’ and repeatedly swears in the video.
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘We are aware of a video on social media showing a man being searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act in Kiver Road, Archway.
‘We understand the video was filmed in 2017.
‘The man was not arrested and no complaint was received.’
Stop and search is a highly controversial police tactic in London, with statistics repeatedly showing that people of colour are targeted more often by officers.
Jamie, who is white, said that people on the road rallied round to support him during the incident because he was well known in the community.
‘I did that round quite a lot’, he explained.
‘Most postmen just crack on with their job, but I would always stop to speak to the old ladies and talk to the men.
‘I’d help people with buggies, or carrying shopping.
‘I was a big part of the community – so I had everyone around the road telling the police to leave me alone.’
At least three police vehicles and six officers can be seen in the video.
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Jamie says he was finally let go after his supervisor intervened over the phone – and after officers had been through his letters, which he can be heard telling them they are not allowed to do.
He added that he decided not to complain about the incident after a chat with union representatives.
Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act allows police to search somebody if a constable has reasonable grounds to suspect that they are in possession of drugs.
Jamie has since left Royal Mail after being medically retired due to a knee issue.
He now works as a DJ and photographer alongside running an events company.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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