source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7999277.stm
Met suspends G20 footage officer
Police officer 'hit' G20 protester - footage courtesy YouTube
A police sergeant seen in video footage apparently hitting a woman during the G20 protest in London has been suspended, Scotland Yard has said.
The officer appears to hit the woman in the face with his hand and then the leg with his baton after she swears at him.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission - already investigating the death of Ian Tomlinson during the 1 April protests - is examining the case.
The Lib Dems say it shows there is a systemic problem and want an inquiry.
Officers 'accountable'
The latest video footage featuring the female protester has been passed to the IPCC, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
"The officer has been identified and suspended pending further investigation. The officer works as a sergeant in the territorial support group," he added.
Earlier, police said the apparent actions of the officer featured in the footage raised "immediate concerns".
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 It is no doubt a pressure cooker environment, however highly trained professionals are supposed to be better at defusing the situation  Shami Chakrabarti
Liberty |
"Every officer is accountable under law, and fully aware of the scrutiny that their actions can be held open to," police said.
"The decision to use force is made by the individual police officer, and they must account for that."
The IPCC said it had been made aware of the latest footage by the Met Police and would now be looking at the "best way to progress an investigation into the actions of the officer involved".
David Howarth, the Liberal Democrat's justice spokesman, has called for a "full-scale inquiry".
"The fact that this video shows another example of an officer with his number obscured assaulting a member of the public indicates that there is a systematic problem here, not just a series of individual acts of misconduct," he said.
"The question is on my mind whether the police are using a some kind of 'designated hitter' system."
Investigation 'right'
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said it was difficult to understand what justified "a gargantuan police officer assaulting a smaller woman for having the audacity to complain".
"It is no doubt a pressure cooker environment, however highly trained professionals are supposed to be better at defusing the situation," she added.
The video footage of the female protester emerged as the IPCC continues to investigate the death of Mr Tomlinson, who suffered a heart attack and died during the demonstrations on 1 April.
Ian Tomlinson lived and worked in the City of London
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The IPCC took up the case after footage taken by a New York fund manager showed Mr Tomlinson apparently being pushed to the ground by a police officer shortly before his death.
Days later more video footage aired on Channel 4 appeared to show the newspaper vendor being struck by an officer with a baton.
The police officer seen in the video of Mr Tomlinson has been suspended by the Met.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said it was "absolutely right" any allegations regarding the new video footage should be thoroughly investigated.
"In respect of this particular woman, which has been shown to me for the first time this evening, if a complaint is made I think it's absolutely right that there should be a thorough investigation into what the police did.
"That's the right thing that we should do in a democratic society."
