Complaint regarding injury sustained during restraint - Metropolitan Police Service, April 2018

On 8 April 2018 Metropolitan Police Service officers were called to an incident involving approximately 30 young women fighting outside a train station in north London. The initial officers who arrived tried to disperse the women and requested assistance from British Transport Police officers. One of the officers brought one of the young women to the ground and she injured her elbow. The woman was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.

The young woman made a complaint that her legs were swept from beneath her during the restraint, causing her to fall to the floor and subsequently sustain a broken elbow.

Our investigators investigated the contact the woman had with police before her elbow was injured. They obtained CCTV and body-worn video footage, as well as accounts from the officers involved. They were unable to obtain an account from the injured woman.

During the investigation there was no indication any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing if disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence.

The evidence (including CCTV footage) suggested that the officer was dealing with a volatile situation, where knives were thought to be available. The officer believed the young woman was about to assault someone, as she was running towards others shouting abuse. The officer stated that they attempted to de-escalate the situation with verbal commands that proved to be unsuccessful. They therefore decided to use an approved technique to bring the woman to the ground in order to protect themselves and others. The evidence suggests that the officer acted appropriately in the circumstances.

We did not uphold the complaint.

We completed our investigation in March 2019.