Two Metropolitan Police officers have been fired after they were found to have used excessive force during the arrest of a teenage boy in north London before making false statements.
A misconduct hearing, which finished on Wednesday, found PC Alexei Zalesskiy and PC Conor Ryan, both attached to North Area Command Unit, had engaged in gross misconduct.
They have been dismissed without notice.
The arrest took place on April 17, 2021 on Wilberforce Road in Finsbury Park. Both officers had rushed to the area after reports of “large numbers of youths, possible armed with knives, causing disorder”, the Met said.
The force said a boy, aged 14, spat at the officers and ran away from them, before they detained and arrested him a short distance away.
Zalesskiy and Ryan were both found to have used excessive force during the arrest and made “statements about the incident which were not true”, the Met said.
A panel led by an independent legally qualified chair found the officers breached Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to use of force and honesty and integrity.
Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, who leads policing in North Area, said: “Officers have to act with restraint and the public of course would expect them to be honest about their actions.
“Action will be taken against any officer whose behaviour falls below that which is expected. We are determined to drive up standards, and those who fail to meet those standards have no place in the Met.”
The officers will be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
The misconduct investigation was carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and a file passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, who felt the case did not meet the threshold for any charges.
