In a case that has sparked outrage, a 13-year-old boy found himself surrounded by armed police after an officer mistook his water pistol for a genuine firearm. This incident occurred in
Hackney, east London, in July, as reported by the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA).
The APA criticized the police response, asserting that the water pistol was undeniably a toy. The Met Police's Detective Chief Superintendent, James Conway, has expressed his apologies for the trauma experienced by the boy.
According to the APA, the incident unfolded while the boy, referred to as Child X, was engaged in a water fight with a sibling on July 19. A patrolling police officer reported a potential firearms incident. The APA mentioned that the water pistols used in the play were blue and white, as well as pink and white.
Upon receiving the report, armed units from the Met and City of London Police were dispatched to the scene. There, they arrested Child X on suspicion of possessing a firearm, the APA disclosed.
"The subsequent treatment of Child X and the horrific scene that unfolded was appalling," the APA stated. "A police van rammed Child X off his bicycle, knocking him to the ground. He was surrounded by armed police officers who pointed their firearms at him."
When the boy's mother arrived and confronted the officers, she was allegedly treated with contempt.
Child X was de-arrested at the scene shortly after the initial apprehension.
An internal investigation conducted by the Met Police did not find any misconduct on the part of the involved officers. However, a complaint accusing them of racial bias is still under investigation by the force's standards department.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct indicated that the Met Police could carry out both investigations internally.
Mr. Conway expressed his apologies to the family for the "extremely distressing" incident. He emphasized that officers are trained to treat all firearms as real and loaded until proven otherwise, in accordance with the guidelines from the College of Policing.
Child X's family has viewed body-worn video footage of the incident and has met with Mr. Conway. They are expected to issue a statement regarding the incident on Thursday.
A spokesperson from the City of London Police mentioned that their force attended the incident in support of the Met Police, which is common practice. Photo by RoyKabanlit, Wikimedia commons.