Exclusive | Met Police defend stop of Black child after viral footage sparks outrage
The incident, which took place in the Isle of Dogs on Saturday evening, has prompted fierce criticism from members of the public
The Metropolitan Police have defended officers’ actions after footage of a Black boy being detained on a London street sparked widespread outrage online.
The video, which has been viewed thousands of times across various social media platforms, shows the distressed child being restrained by two officers.
The incident took place in the Isle of Dogs on Saturday evening, with the viral clip prompting fierce criticism from members of the public.
Many questioned why the child was handcuffed and pinned to the ground, while others expressed concern about the potential psychological impact of the encounter.
In the video, the boy can be heard asking the officers, “what have I done?” and “why are you arresting me?”, multiple times, explaining that he was playfighting with his friends.
A witness who filmed the incident gave the same account, posting online that the group had been playfighting.
After initially not answering the child’s questions, one of the officers replied: “you’re not arrested, you’re detained.
“We’ve seen you guys hanging around the train station (…),” the officer continued
“You’ve initially been fighting (…). On seeing police, you then run around the corner. We’ve got issues in the area, kids as young as you with weapons, knives.”
In a statement to Black Current News, the Met Police said the footage circulating online did not capture the full sequence of events.
A force spokesperson said: “Officers were on patrol close to Alexia Square at 20:30hrs on Saturday, 25 July when they witnessed a group who appeared to be fighting. It was not clear from a distance how old those in the group were.”
“On noticing the police officers, the group ran from the area and dispersed, discarding items – including a balaclava – as they did so,” the spokesperson continued.
“Officers pursued two of the group on foot and detained one close to Pepper Street, where a stop and search was carried out.
Following engagement with the child and the rest of the group, no offences were identified and all were given “words of advice around their behaviour”, including about running from police when challenged, the force said.
They were also spoken to about wearing balaclavas, the Met Police said, adding that, while that is not an offence in itself, it “has the potential to intimidate the public and will inevitably draw the attention of officers.”
“Videos online often only show a snapshot of what took place, without any context or background information,” the spokesperson added.
The footage has prompted an outpouring of reaction online.
“Handcuffs. He is not a threat. He is a kid. I’m so angry,” one person wrote.
Another said the incident reflected the adultification of Black children “in real time”, adding: “It’s absolutely abhorrent that this child was laid down in cuffs.”
Others questioned why, if the group had allegedly been involved in the same behaviour, only one child appeared to have been physically restrained.
Although police say no offences were identified after the stop and search, the force’s explanation is unlikely to quell growing calls for greater scrutiny of how Black children are policed, particularly in situations involving the use of force.
Black children are more likely to be stopped by the police than their white counterparts and subjected to the use of additional force during these encounters, a recent report by the Children’s Commissioner highlighted.
The Met Police have not indicated whether it will review the officers’ conduct or whether body-worn video from the incident will be released. Black Current News has queried this with the force.
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