A Met Police officer is to face gross misconduct proceedings after ‘using force’ on a teenage boy outside a school in Tottenham last year.

In a Snapchat video circulating on social media at the time, an officer appeared to punch a Black teenager, 16, in the head.

The incident took place on December 8 last year at West Green Road, Haringe, around 5 pm, when six police officers approached a group of black teenagers outside a school.

The constable in question tried to search one of the 16-year-olds, who “sustained facial injuries” during the arrest, before handcuffing the boy.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an investigation two days later following a complaint from the boy and a referral from the Met Police.

Six officers were on foot patrol when they approached a group of Black teenage boys standing near the gates of Parkview School, West Green Road, Tottenham. After a short conversation, a police constable detained one of the boys for a search and the incident escalated when the officer tried to handcuff the boy who either ‘fell or was taken to the ground’, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

After a six-month investigation that used statements from the officers involved as well as CCTV, body cam, and social media footage, the IOPC has decided the officer should face gross misconduct proceedings for breaching standards of professional behavior. The IOPC suggests the use of force was ‘not necessary, reasonable or proportionate in the circumstances and that there were no ‘reasonable grounds’ for searching the boy.

They also decided that the officer’s attitude to the boy could have been considered disrespectful, but said there was ‘no evidence of overt racism.

It is hoped the gross misconduct proceedings will ensure the officer understands why incidents like this ‘could be perceived or experienced as discriminatory’.

The police chief in Haringay, Superintendent Simon Crick, told The Evening Standard that the incident had caused “a significant level of concern”.

“I ask my officers to do a very difficult job, often in very challenging situations, and they must at all times act with professionalism, dignity, and respect if they are to maintain the trust of their communities.”

The superintendent said one of his officers had a case to answer, but he reminded the public that three officers were injured in the incident.