Mum slams watchdog after armed police arrest son over water pistol | EUROtoday

The mom of a 13-year-old boy arrested by armed police after pointing a water pistol at his youthful sister has hit out on the police watchdog who declared the officer’s actions “reasonable”.

The boy, referred to solely as Child X, was knocked to the bottom, handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of getting a firearm after being confronted by officers with submachine weapons whereas having a water battle together with his youthful sister close to his residence.

After an officer mistook his water pistol for a harmful firearm the teenager was struck by a police car inflicting him to crash right into a wall throughout a tactical cease as he cycled alone on Buxted Road, in Dalston, on 19 July 2023.

He was taken to hospital with bruising and swelling after he was launched, when his mom arrived on the scene and knowledgeable them he was enjoying with a water pistol.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation when the boy’s mom complained in regards to the adultification and discrimination in opposition to her black son throughout the arrest, in Hackney, east London.

Child X’s mom described the end result of the IOPC investigation as “extremely disappointing” after it discovered the officers behaved moderately within the circumstances.

She mentioned: “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.

“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.”

The arrest got here after a Met officer reported that they’d seen a male on a bicycle pull out what gave the impression to be a handgun and level it at a “female” on Buxted Road, earlier than they each cycled off.

On the report he described the firearm as “blue and white” and “shaped like a glock” and the male’s age as roughly 16.

The matter was declared a firearms incident by a tactical firearms commander and armed officers from each the Met and the City of London Police had been despatched in pursuit.

After the boy was knocked off his bike, he was surrounded by armed officers with their weapons drawn and was arrested and handcuffed on the bottom.

An officer requested the kid the place the gun was and he mentioned it was a water gun and “it’s at home”. During the arrest a member of the general public will be heard repeatedly telling the officers that the kid had a water gun.

The baby was searched and no merchandise was discovered. The baby’s mom confirmed that her son had been enjoying with a water pistol. The boy was launched, his handcuffs had been eliminated and officers left the scene.

The officer informed the watchdog that whereas the toy was blue and white, he knew that firearms might be tailored or made vibrant to keep away from suspicion.

The IOPC additionally dominated the tactical cease which injured the boy was “appropriate” provided that the officer had an truthfully held perception that the kid had a firearm.

The IOPC discovered no proof to recommend the officer’s calling in of the boy enjoying with the water gun was influenced by the kid’s race.

Campaign group the Alliance for Police Accountability, which supported the mom of the kid, criticised the watchdog’s choice.

Its chairman, Lee Jasper mentioned in a press release: “This case exemplifies the failure of both the Metropolitan Police and the IOPC to protect black children and hold officers accountable for the harm they cause. A 13-year-old black boy playing with a water pistol was treated as an armed criminal, brutalised, and left traumatised.

“How many more black children must suffer similar trauma before we see real change? We need immediate reforms to safeguard our children from these disproportionate and damaging interactions.

“Enough is enough.”