Metropolitan Cops shot women who tprevious officers they have been pregnant or Might be carrying A toddler with taser weapons and hit them with batons after being arrested, new figures current.
Knowledge, obtained by ITV Information by way of freedom Of information requests, reveals officers wielded strain on hundreds Of women who tprevious officers they have been pregnant or Might be carrying A toddler after being arrested.
Force is outlined as every thing from being handcuffed to drawing a baton, using taser weapons, canine, irritant spray, physique restraints, and spit hoods.
The latter are extremely controversial mesh guards That are put over people’ heads – overlaying Everything of their face in a bid to cease suspect’s spitting or biting officers.
However so-referred to as spit hoods have been fiercely criticised and have been positioned on Pretty A pair Of people who died in police custody Inside The united kingdom and the US.
The current data confirmed There have been 2,556 circumstances when Met Cops recorded using incapacitant spray or strain on women and women who believed they have been pregnant or Might Anticipate on hazard assessments from January 2018 and June 2021.
Metropolitan Cops made 4,117 arrests of such women all by way of this time which signifies over half Of these circumstances noticed some Sort of strain used on The woman. This noticed a taser – which are weapons that briefly incapacitate people by way of a extreme-voltage electrical discharge – being wielded in three circumstances.
Janey Starling co-director of feminist advertising campaign group Diploma Up, Who’re advertising campaigning for an finish to the imjailment of pregnant women, tprevious The Indepfinishent: “The violence that the police use in the direction of any woman is merciless, traumatising and dangerous, particularly for pregnant women. Tasers and spit hoods Ought to be banned, and no pregnant woman Ought to be held in custody. That is uniquely grim proof of police abuse of power.”
The investigation comes as Dame Cressida Dick, the Met Police Commissioner, stepped dpersonal from her submit after London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, claimed she had not correctly deal withd a tradition of racism and sexism Inside the Met. Her departure acquired here simply hours after Dick said she had “utterly no intention” of exiting her job.
It comes Inside the context of the police dealing with mounting criticism for failing to deal with violence in the direction of women and women withInside Their very personal ranks Inside the wake of Sarah Everard’s homicide and rape by a serving Metropolitan Police officer.
Wayne Couzens, who used Covid lockdpersonal restrictions So as to falsely arrest the 33-yr-previous advertising authorities earlier than kidnapping, raping and strangling her, was sentenced to A complete-life jail time period in September.
Couzens was reportedly nicknamed “the rapist” by colleagues As a Outcome of Of making feminine officers really feel uncomfortable. The officer was accused of a quantity of circumstances of indecent publicity – legally outlined as deliberately displaying your genitals in a public space to set off alarm or misery – earlier than killing Everard.
Meanwhereas, Met Cops have been criticised for aggressively grabbing women paying tribute to Everard at a peaceable vigil in Clapham, south London, final March earlier than taking them away whereas completely differents screamed and cried out.
The current data from 15 completely different police strains revealed A minimal Of three,818 Women and women who said they have been pregnant or Might be have been arrested between January 2018 and June 2021 – with strain or restraint wielded in 275 circumstances.
A 12-yr-previous woman was the youngest of the people to be arrested by a strain and have restraint employed on them. She was arrested by the Met again in 2020 but particulars Regarding the incident Weren’t launched Due to information being private.
A spokesperson for the Met Police has been contacted for remark.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/met-taser-pepper-spray-pregnant-women-b2013047.html