Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, responsible for policing in Croydon, said: “This incident caused a great deal of concern in the community when it happened and when a video showing part of the events was shared on social media. The incident was clearly distressing for the woman involved and particularly her child.
“Because of that concern, we made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct which is now carrying out an independent investigation.
“We are co-operating fully with the investigation and are aware of today’s update from the IOPC.
“It is important the incident is thoroughly investigated to understand what happened. As the IOPC has stated, the launching of a criminal or misconduct investigation is not in itself a finding of wrongdoing and we await its conclusions after all the available evidence has been gathered and fully examined.”
The incident happened on Whitehorse Road, Croydon, on 21 July as officers from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command were supporting Transport for London revenue inspectors in the area. TfL inspectors were checking tickets as part of their fare evasion operation, with police only becoming involved where details were not provided or where someone tried to leave when challenged.
The woman involved in this incident was asked to provide her ticket after she got off the bus, but did not do so. She was spoken to by a TfL inspector, then by a PCSO and finally by a police officer. She continued to try to walk away and did not provide her ticket for inspection.
She was arrested on suspicion of fare evasion and was handcuffed. When officers were able to take her ticket from her so that the TfL inspectors could check it, they were able to confirm it was valid. She was immediately de-arrested and her handcuffs were removed.
Throughout the incident, the child was comforted by a PCSO who immediately recognised his distress. We regret any impact it may have on him.
We met with the local community within days of the incident and continue to speak with key community leaders to listen to their concerns and provide updates.
The officer, a PC, will remain on restricted duties while the investigation is carried out.
