SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan has said footage appearing to show a PSNI officer kicking a 16-year-old in the head is damaging to the police service’s reputation.
A Police Ombudsman investigation is underway into the incident that happened in Cookstown.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The footage that emerged last week of a PSNI officer in Cookstown kicking a prone teenager in the head is absolutely reprehensible.
“I welcome the swift action of the PSNI in reporting this to the Ombudsman, but the police service must do everything possible to show the public that behaviour of this kind will not be tolerated within their ranks.
“When some of us are working hard to change the perception of policing here, incidents like this do enormous damage and drag us all back.
“Not only did this officer’s actions appear to risk serious injury to the young man, but it reduces confidence in his colleagues and makes their job more difficult, and dangerous too.
“It also makes advocating for young people to join the police more challenging, hurting the reputation of the service as a whole.
“The vast majority of PSNI officers do their best to serve the public, and often in very difficult circumstances.
“Our police service is struggling right now, particularly on the ground in community neighbourhood policing teams, due to budget pressures and the fall in officer numbers.
“However, there can be no justification for what we saw in Cookstown and the PSNI must act quickly to restore public confidence.”
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