Two officers accused of the racial profiling of a middle aged black couple have been cleared of any wrongdoing by a police watchdog.

Ingrid Antoine-Oniyoke and her husband Falil Oniyoke were stopped in their car by two Suffolk Constabulary officers in Ipswich and asked for ID on June 9 last year.

The couple, from Watford, had been staying at Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke’s mother’s house while their own house was renovated and their encounter was caught on film and posted on social media.

In the clip, a male officer told Mr Oniyoke and Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke: “You look suspicious.”

He continued: “You can argue and you can say ‘why, why, why the whole time’.”

Mrs Antoine-Oniyoke tells them “this is disgusting”, while her husband says “this is profiling”.

The female officer present was seen telling them: “You have turned something irate that shouldn’t be. You are just jumping on the bandwagon – that’s not OK.”

The officer appeared to be referring to the Black Lives Matter protests.

The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) the same month, who have found there is no misconduct case to be heard, but said there is “room for improvement” in how the incident was dealt with.

The two officers had been observing a nearby address and told to prevent anybody arriving or leaving, and during that task the couple’s car drove past twice, prompting officers to stop them.

The watchdog said in a statement: “This incident raised concerns about public confidence in policing and not least from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

“To ensure the police are accountable for their actions, it was important to establish all of the circumstances and facts surrounding this incident.

“We examined the stop and found that the actions of the officers were appropriate and proportionate, followed approved police policies and that the officers did not treat the man and his wife differently because of their race.

“Nevertheless, we found that there was room for improvement in some of the officers’ interactions with the couple who were entirely justified in querying why they were being stopped.”

Darren Harris, chairman of Suffolk Police Federation, said: “Police officers have an incredibly difficult job to do – now more than ever – and they are of course highly accountable for their actions.

“Whilst public scrutiny is expected, officers should never be subject to trial by social media.

“In this case we must note that when all the evidence has been diligently considered as part of an independent investigation, the actions of our colleagues have been found to be appropriate and proportionate.

“Suffolk Police Federation has been supporting these officers since the incident gained prominence. We now look forward to continuing to support them as they go about their roles keeping the people of Suffolk safe.”