Met Police officer filmed "hitting a man on the bottom and kneeing him in ribs" during an arrest

Officers entered the property to arrest a man for allegedly assaulting an emergency services worker, say the Metropolitan Police.

The Metropolitan Police say the man was later charged with the assault of an emergency services worker.

A Metropolitan Police officer has been filmed appearing to "smack a man on the bottom, then knee him in the ribs" during an arrest in Southeast London last year. The man - who was later charged with assaulting an emergency services worker - was already pinned down to the bed by three other officers at the address in Erith, Bexley, on June 15th, 2021.

The clip begins with officers bursting into the home as a man filming shouts, "Oi, it's against the law. You are not allowed here". An officer appears to respond: "Well, we're in here". The clip continues as four officers arrest, holding the other man down on a bed. A woman can be seen screaming and shouting throughout the arrest.

As the man says, "release me then", one of the officers appears to thump him on the backside with his baton, asking him to put his "hands behind his legs". The same officer then knees the man in the ribs as other officers hold him down.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "We are aware of a video posted on social media showing the arrest of a man inside an address off Erith High Street on June 15th, 2021. He was later charged with assault by beating and assaulting an emergency worker. We are unaware of any complaints about this arrest, and no ongoing misconduct matters exist. The man is awaiting trial for the above offences, which means proceedings are active, and we cannot comment further."

College of Policing guidelines say the use of force must be "necessary for a purpose permitted by law" and "the amount of force used must also be reasonable and proportionate". It adds: "The law recognises that there are situations where police officers may have to use force. The primary responsibility for using force rests with individual officers, who are answerable to the law."

To watch the whole incident, follow this link to the My London website: https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/met-police-officer-filmed-hitting-24240257.