Police van ramming boy 13, with water pistol off his bike ‘was reasonable force’

Armed cops who swarmed a 13-year-old boy after his water pistol was mistaken for a real gun have been cleared of wrongdoing by the police watchdog.

The schoolboy, identified only as Child X, was rammed off his bike by a police van and handcuffed while surrounded by marksmen in Hackney, east London, in July.

He was having a water fight with his younger sibling on July 19 last year when a police officer on patrol reported a potential firearms incident.

One of the water guns was blue and white, and one was pink and white.

The boy’s mum accused the police of adultification and discrimination because he is black.

The Independent Office For Police Conduct (IOPC) has now concluded the actions of the officers were ‘reasonable in the circumstances’.

Child X’s mum described the investigation as ‘extremely disappointing’.

In a statement released through lawyers, the mother said: ‘From the very day of this horrific incident, it was clear to me that the police would not have treated my son in the way that they did if he had been a white 13-year-old boy.

‘From the outset, I made it clear that I expected any investigation into the incident to look at the very obvious role that my son’s race played in the way in which he was treated by the police.

‘Unfortunately, the IOPC have shown themselves to be completely incapable of understanding what race discrimination is and how it actually operates in the way that black children are treated by the police.

‘The outcome of their investigation is consistent with my experience of the IOPC throughout my dealings with them. At first, they didn’t want to investigate my concerns at all.

‘They only agreed to investigate after they were publicly embarrassed in the media and had to respond to the widespread support my family has received in the local community and from parents around the country.

‘Even then, it seems the IOPC have simply gone through the motions of an investigation, with the inevitable outcome they have now presented to me. Their unwillingness to do their job has been extremely disappointing, and it does nothing to inspire any confidence in them or in the police.’

IOPC regional director Charmaine Arbouin said: ‘We know that this incident was distressing to the child involved and his family.

‘Being arrested, handcuffed and searched by armed officers would have been a frightening experience for anyone, let alone a 13-year-old.

‘We note the Met Police has apologised to the boy’s family for the distress caused.

‘Police officers have a duty to protect the public from harm and the evidence from our investigation supported the first officer’s belief that he thought he may have seen a real firearm.

‘The decision to send armed officers to the scene following the report of a firearm was in line with guidance and based on the evidence we obtained we found no indication that any officers behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings.’

At around 3.45pm that day, a Met officer reported they had seen a male on a bicycle pull out what appeared to be a handgun and point it at a female on Buxted Road, before they both cycled off.

He described the firearm as ‘blue and white’ and ‘shaped like a Glock’ and the male’s age as approximately 16.

The matter was declared a firearms incident by a tactical firearms commander and armed officers from both the Met and the City of London Police were sent to the area to locate the child.

Shortly before 4pm, armed response officers saw the child alone on Buxted Road cycling towards them and used their vehicle to make tactical contact with his bicycle at low speed, which knocked the child into a wall.

He was surrounded by armed officers with their weapons drawn and was arrested and handcuffed on the ground.

An officer asked the child where the gun was and he said it was a water gun and ‘it’s at home’.

At the same time a passerby can be heard repeatedly telling the officers that the child had a water gun.

The child was searched and nothing was found.

The child’s mother spoke to the officers at the scene and confirmed her son had been playing with a water pistol.

The boy was de-arrested, his handcuffs were removed and officers left the scene.

He went to hospital and was treated for bruising and swelling due to the collision with the police vehicle.

Ms Arbouin said: ‘We know that this incident was distressing to the child involved and his family.

‘Being arrested, handcuffed and searched by armed officers would have been a frightening experience for anyone, let alone a 13-year-old.

‘We note the Met Police has apologised to the boy’s family for the distress caused.’

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