Met Police suspends officer in ‘get off my neck’ arrest as ‘distressing’ video goes viral

THE Metropolitan Police has suspended an officer after video emerged showing a man in north London being detained using techniques “not taught in police training”.

Footage posted on social media showed the man being held on the ground shouting: “Get off me… I haven’t done anything … get off my neck.”

Steve House, deputy commissioner of the force, called the footage “extremely disturbing”.

“Some of the techniques used cause me great concern — they are not taught in police training,” he said in a statement.

“One officer has been suspended and another officer has been removed from operational duty, but not suspended at this time. This decision will be kept under review,” he added.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “deeply concerned about this distressing incident”, adding that he had raised the issue with top officers of the Met Police “as a matter of urgency”.

“I welcome the fact the incident has been reviewed quickly by the Met, and it’s right that they have referred it to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”

A College of Policing spokesman said “safety and welfare of an individual under restraint is a priority” for all officers.

“National personal safety training for officers in England and Wales does not contain any restraint technique where officers apply pressure to the throat or neck area of a person,” he added.

“Officers are actively encouraged to avoid doing so due to the inherent dangers of putting pressure on the neck or throat, particularly during restraint.”

However, if officers are convinced that the “public are in imminent danger they are permitted to use whatever force is reasonable and necessary to prevent that danger”.

The officers, who had been called to a fight on Thursday, arrested the man at a scene on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon, the Met Police said.

The 45-year-old man was later charged with possession of a knife in a public place, and would appear in court on Saturday. The man was also wanted for recall to prison for a separate offence.

The arrest drew parallels with the restraining of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of US police in May sparked worldwide Black Lives Matter protests. Anti-racism groups in the UK have called for demonstrations against the police on Saturday (18).