A West Midlands police officer has been caught on CCTV in Birmingham punching and kicking a 15-year-old boy in broad daylight as he tried to stop and search the teen for drugs.

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What you don’t see in the video is apparently the teen elbowed the police officer in the face (according to Metro) and refused to cooperate throughout their interaction.

What do you think given that context – is this necessary force?

The unnamed officer has not been suspended but has been ‘removed from frontline duties’ pending an investigation.

West Midlands Police says:

The force’s Professional Standards Department is reviewing CCTV and body worn video of the incident following a complaint alleging that the boy had been assaulted by the officer during the course of his encounter.

It has also voluntarily been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Tricky one. You’ve got a violent offender who’s just elbowed a cop in the face and is clearly trying to escape, but the officer probably shouldn’t have kicked him once he was already on the floor. Can’t really claim self defense in that situation. Not to mention the kid’s 15 years old which makes it even worse. Oh well, we all have bad days at the office but let’s see if this one ends up costing the officer his job.

To watch police take down a crazed knifeman by ramming a car into him, click HERE. That one was definitely justified.