A Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officer will face gross
misconduct proceedings following an Independent Office for Police
Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the force used on a teenage boy
outside a Tottenham secondary school.
We began our investigation on 10 December 2020 following a
complaint from the boy and a referral from the MPS. Footage was
shared widely on social media showing part of the incident in
West Green Road, Haringey on 8 December 2020.
Six officers were on foot patrol and, due to recent intelligence
on local crime trends, approached a group of Black teenage boys
standing near to the school gates. BWV shows that after a short
conversation, a police constable detained one of the boys for a
search. The incident escalated when the officer attempted to
handcuff the boy who either fell or was taken to the ground.
Evidence we gathered during our six-month investigation indicated
that the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct for
breaching standards of professional behaviour for use of force
and duties and responsibilities. It is alleged that the use of
force was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate in the
circumstances and that there were not reasonable grounds for
searching the boy. It will be for the force to organise a hearing
in due course.
It was also our opinion that the officer’s attitude towards the
boy could have been considered disrespectful. We considered
whether race and age bias was a factor in the officer’s decision
making and could not rule this out although there was no evidence
of overt racism. We did not believe these potential breaches of
professional standards met the threshold for disciplinary action
but felt there was an opportunity for learning and reflection for
the officer, particularly around their understanding of why
incidents like this, where force was used and escalated quickly
against a young Black male in public, could be perceived or
experienced as discriminatory.
The investigation found that a second officer present during the
incident, did not attempt to de-escalate the situation and
responded to taunts from the teenagers with unprofessional
language that could be considered inflammatory. In line with our
recommendation this will be considered as a practice requiring
improvement and addressed through restorative practice.
IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said: “Police use of force is
an area of serious concern for our communities and we recognise
the potential for incidents like this to damage public confidence
in the police.
“It will now be a matter for the police disciplinary panel, to
determine whether the allegations are proven.”
During our investigation, we obtained statements from the
officers involved and an eyewitness and examined footage from the
officers’ body-worn video, CCTV and social media.
