Armed Metropolitan Police Confront 13-Year-Old in Water Fight Over Water Pistol
The Metropolitan Police stated that they have issued an apology to the family for the incident, which was understandably highly distressing for the young boy involved.
In East London’s Hackney, on July 19th, a 13-year-old boy engaged in a water fight with his younger sibling found himself surrounded by armed officers from London’s Metropolitan Police. This alarming incident occurred when a vigilant police officer on patrol mistook the boy’s water pistol for a genuine firearm.
The Alliance for Police Accountability (APA), an advocacy group working towards a transformation in the policing of black communities in the UK, strongly condemned the treatment of the boy. They asserted that it was unequivocally clear that the water pistol was a toy.
Both the Metropolitan and City of London Police dispatched armed units to the scene, reportedly due to concerns about the water guns. The APA detailed that one of the water pistols was blue and white, while the other was pink and white.
According to the APA’s statement, the subsequent events were deeply distressing. The police van forcefully collided with the boy’s bicycle, causing him to fall to the ground. He was then encircled by armed officers who aimed their firearms at him, subsequently arresting him on suspicion of possessing a firearm. The boy was swiftly released at the scene, once his mother arrived and challenged the unfolding situation. Regrettably, she too faced disdain from the officers when seeking an explanation for their actions.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, offered an apology to the family. He acknowledged the distressing nature of the incident for the boy and his family and expressed a desire to provide clarity to the public regarding the police response. He emphasised that the apology does not diminish the acknowledged trauma experienced by the boy, for which he promptly apologised to the family.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog has determined that there was no misconduct on the part of the officers involved.
Mr. Conway stated, “Our officers are often faced with rapidly evolving situations, operating on the information available to them in the moment.”
“Given the potential threat posed by firearms, the College of Policing emphasises that officers must treat all firearms as real and loaded until proven otherwise.”
“Under human rights legislation, the police have a clear legal obligation to safeguard life, and this principle guides our response to suspected firearms incidents.”
Child X’s family has viewed body-worn footage of the incident and has had a meeting with Mr. Conway.
He added, “I deeply regret the distress experienced by the child, and I am open to meeting with the family again if they believe it would be beneficial.”
A spokesperson for the City of London Police stated, “In line with standard procedure, a firearms unit from the City of London Police provided support to Metropolitan Police firearms units during an incident on 19 July 2023.”
