The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into a complaint that the force used during the arrest of a 15-year-old boy was unnecessary and excessive.
Just prior to his arrest, the boy was a passenger in a suspected stolen car that had been used that night in two burglaries. The car was spotted by Police, the tyres were successfully spiked, and a pursuit was authorised. Eventually, the car came to a stop on a residential street.
The 15-year-old ran from the car and climbed onto the roof of another car parked nearby. He said an officer pulled him from the roof onto the ground where he was punched in the back and elbowed in the head. He also complained that the officer tried to kick his face and called him derogatory names after he had been placed in handcuffs.
Police investigated the incident and identified the officer involved. The officer confirmed that he grabbed the boy while the boy was on the roof of the vehicle. He stated that, as he did so, the boy took hold of his police vest, rolled on top of him, and subsequently fell to the ground. The officer sustained a broken hand during the incident and said this occurred while he was attempting to prevent the boy being injured by the fall. The officer denied punching or striking the boy while restraining him and further denied using any unprofessional language.
CCTV footage of the arrest showed the interaction; however, it was of low quality and did not establish how the fall happened or whether excessive force was used. The footage showed a brief struggle between the two, before it appears the officer restrained the boy and applied handcuffs. After this point, the footage does not reveal any conclusive action by the officer that would suggest he attempted to kick the boy.
Police also spoke to all identified witnesses, including a member of the public, and none reported hearing derogatory language used. However, all the witnesses arrived after the complainant was secured in handcuffs and accordingly, they did not see the earlier struggle.
The Police investigation established that, while some force was used to effect the arrest, there was no evidence that it was excessive or unreasonable and the complaint was therefore not upheld.
The Authority is satisfied with the Police investigation and agrees with their finding.
IPCA:25-28129