A New South Wales police officer has been placed on “restricted duties” and professional standards command is investigating after a video posted to social media showed the officer tripping an Indigenous teenager while arresting him, slamming the boy face-first on to bricks.
One of the boy’s relatives posted in the video caption that the boy was with friends in a park less than 100 metres from his home when the police arrested him for what she said was “no reason at all”.
The police can be heard in the video talking to the group before the teenager was arrested. The police officer said “open up your ears”, to which someone off-camera replied: “I don’t need to open my ears, I’ll crack you across the jaw, bro.”
The officer then began arresting the boy, using his leg to pull the teenager’s feet from under him while his arms were held behind his back, causing the teenager to slam face-first into the bricks and garden bed. The boy could be heard groaning and whining in pain.
At a press conference on Tuesday assistant commissioner Mick Willing refused to say whether he believed the level of force used by the officer during the incident was appropriate, or to explain why the officer had not been formally stood down during the investigation.
Willing said he had watched the footage and was “absolutely” concerned by it, but refused to comment on whether he thought it was appropriate for the officer to use force against the teen.
NSW Police confirmed the professional standards command was investigating the incident and said the constable involved had been placed on restricted duties.
Solicitors from Redfern Legal Centre called for the investigation to be overseen by police watchdog the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
"This type of policing is not only unacceptable but harmful and impacts community relationships and trust in the police,” said Samantha Lee, a solicitor focusing on police accountability at the centre.
“Redfern Legal Centre believes the young man should seek immediate legal advice and is offering to assist.”
Read the full article here (The Guardian, 2 June 2020)
