Video of Met police officers punching 16-year-old boy during arrest sparks outrage

The Met police have come under fire after a video of two police officers punching a 16-year-old boy before detaining him went viral on social media. The video was shared by a media commentator, Carina White.

The alarming footage shot by a witness on Friday in Abbey Wood, southeast London shows the concerned police officers brutally hitting the boy before pinning him down on June 10.

The video was posted on Twitter by White on behalf of her friend. She wrote: "Hey Met Police, just wondering if this is reasonable and appropriate use of force to detain a 16-year-old child? Kicking and punching???"

"This is a friend of a friend's son and took place yesterday in Abbey Wood," she added stating that the boy, a GCSE student, had gone to see his friend.

She continued: "He had gone to see if his friend was OK as he saw police in his garden and this is what the end result was. The police weren't even there for him." She asked if that was the best way to detain a 16-year-old kid.

The video has gone viral on social media with people lashing out at Met police officials. "This is outrageous and must be investigated," wrote one user.

"Is he an 'apprehended suspect' or is he an opp? Because based on this vid, it look like road beef, not an arrest," wrote another Twitter user.

Meanwhile, Met police have said that the video and the officers' bodycam footage will be assessed. They added that the said incident occurred after they were called to reports of a child being threatened by a group of persons.

"Police were called on Friday, 10 June, to a report of a child robbed by a group of males in the Abbey Wood area. It was reported that one of the males threatened the victim with a bottle," a police spokesperson told The Mirror.

"Following police enquiries, officers attended an address in Abbey Wood to make arrest enquiries. property reported as stolen during the robbery was recovered from the address. We are not releasing the road name to protect the identity of the youth arrested," the spokesperson added.

They added that any use of force must be necessary and proportionate, and the concerned officers will be required to account for their actions.