2009-06-09
Complaint to police watchdog relates to alleged use of excessive force at Climate Camp demonstration
A third Metropolitan police officer is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a woman at the G20 protests, the official police watchdog announced today .
The woman claims she was attacked on 1 April by an officer at the Climate Camp protest, a largely peaceful demonstration lines of riot police charged with batons.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a statement that the complaint related to "an incident that occured ... while a group of people were held in an alleyway".
Although the details of the woman's complaint are not known, video footage from the Climate Camp showed police charging hundreds protesters in an attempt to clear the streets. The demonstrators resisted passively, holding their arms in the air and chanting, "This is not a riot."
The IPCC said it had received more than 270 complaints about the actions of officers during the demonstrations, in City of London. Of those, 131 were deemed eligible for investigation, and 52 related to allegations of "excessive force with reported injuries".
The IPCC launched full and independent investigations into five incidents, including the criminal inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper vendor who died of internal bleeding after being hit and pushed to the floor by an officer from the Met's Territorial Support Group (TSG).
The officer, who had covered his badge number, has been suspended and questioned under caution for manslaughter. In a separate IPCC inquiry, the Met and City of London press offices are under investigation over complaints that they deliberately misled the public over Tomlinson's death.
The other full IPCC investigations all relate to alleged assaults by police officers against women, including Nicola Fisher, 35, who was slapped across the face and struck on the legs by a TSG sergeant who had covered up his badge number.
A further 78 separate G20 complaints related to police tactics have been passed to Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, which is conducting a national review of tactics used to police protests. It is expected to release interim findings by the end of the month.