London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Officers who handcuffed and tied a 14-year-old black schoolboy on the floor during a stop and search in London perpetrated misconduct, the police watchdog has stated.
PC McCorley Clewes and ex-PC Benjamin Morgan were among four Metropolitan police officers involved in the cessation in Blackhorse Lane, Croydon, on 23 June 2022 at about 5.30pm after reports of a stolen mobile phone. The officers had obtained a report that four black boys aged about 14, three wearing black puffer coats and one wearing a dark blue hoodie, had robbed a phone from a 13-year-old boy.
What led to the police’s stop-and-search actions?
One of the robbers was expressed to have declared they had a knife, although the victim did not report witnessing a knife, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) stated. The boy, referred to as Child B, was stained alone near the location of the robbery sporting a hoodie and was stopped for a search soon afterwards. He was handcuffed, taken to the ground and restrained. He stayed handcuffed for three minutes while he was explored on the ground and for nearly four minutes after the investigation had been completed, according to the watchdog.
The boy, who was visibly sore, told officers he had come from school and was sporting his school uniform under the hoodie, the IOPC added. The officers discovered nothing on him.
His mother made a protest to the Met police, which was then referred to the IOPC, which opened an investigation.
The incident was witnessed by members of the public and mobile phone footage videoed by a witness was analysed by researchers from the IOPC, along with officers’ body-worn video.
The watchdog stated that an independent panel, designated by the Met and headed by a legally qualified chair, discovered that the officer’s actions amounted to wrongdoing relating to the use of force for handcuffing the child for longer than required and for equality and diversity for failing to make appropriate adjustments for the boy.
What were the findings of the IOPC investigation?
The IOPC regional director, Mel Palmer, stated: “Child B was 14, small in length, and on his own with four officers present during the visit and search. The officers forgot to take into account his age, holding him in handcuffs for longer than necessary after nobody was found during the search. “Their actions and use of force were clearly of concern to a number of bystanders, who raised issues at the time to the officers.”
The watchdog stated they had identified learning for the Met that mainly linked to its policy on visual designation of suspects and its implementation, and had suggested refresher training as part of its investigation.