One man has been arrested and charged after two police officers were attacked in South Wimbledon.
Just before 8pm on Saturday, November 17, the two police constables stopped a car in Kingswood Road.
The three occupants then ran off. The officers managed to detain a 20-year-old man before the other two suspects returned and the officers were assaulted.
Video emerged yesterday of the attack which showed one suspect fly-kick an officer, while the other constable was being wrestled to the ground.
SOUTH LONDON CROYDON LOCALS HAVE A DEBATE WITH THE POLICE pic.twitter.com/ttTG69ynoj
— neil jetel " WW " (@EdJetel) November 19, 2018
Chairman of the Met Police Federation Ken Marsh spoke out after the footage appeared.
"Are we now in a society where, if we think we can't detain somebody, we just let them go? It's just not worth it," he said.
"We're going to come to a point where we're going to start pushing messages out to our colleagues: 'Risk-assess it dynamically and, if you think you can't detain a person, just let them go.'
"We don't come to work to get assaulted, and if we're not going to be backed up in what we're doing then what is the point?"
Martin Payne, of Brighton Road in South Croydon was arrested and subsequently charged with assault causing ABH and assault on an emergency services worker.
He was further charged with driving without insurance and driving other than in accordance with a licence.
He is due to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court later today.
The two officers were taken to a west London hospital. A female officer sustained head injuries and a male officer suffered cuts. They have both been discharged.
Detectives from the South West Command Unit are investigating.
Police are still on the hunt for the two other suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at Merton via 101 quoting reference CAD 6952/17Nov.
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