A police officer has been given a written warning after using CS spray on a 13-year-old boy.

The boy had run away from officers after he was seen involved in a suspected exchange of drugs in a park in the Moss Side area of Manchester, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found.

“After officers caught up with the boy and made two failed attempts to stop and search him, one of the officers ran after him and used CS spray in the child’s face as he turned his head to look back while continuing to run away,” an IOPC spokesman said.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer who used the spray was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour at a misconduct meeting this week.

This followed a complaint from the child’s father in August 2020.

What is CS spray?

Exposure to CS gas can cause eye pain, tightness in the chest, coughing, sneezing and leads to tears streaming from the eyes.

If the gas makes contact with skin, it can lead to a burning and stinging sensation and possible blistering.

Boy ‘posed no immediate threat’ to officer

The watchdog analysed body-worn video footage, conducted interviews and obtained witness statements as part of the five-month investigation.

The concluded that the officer had a case to answer for misconduct and called for disciplinary proceedings to be arranged.

The force used “was neither reasonable nor proportionate and could have been avoided”, said IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe.

“We found no evidence the boy posed any immediate threat to police or the public and the officer’s conduct during the incident fell short of what would be expected of a serving officer,” she added.

“While no serious injury was caused to the child, we know interactions like this with police can have a lasting and damaging impact on public confidence in the police.

“Police officers are trained to deal with challenging situations and should only deploy CS spray when it is necessary, proportionate and reasonable.”

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A GMP spokesman said: “In this case, the officer was given a written warning following a voluntary referral from our Professional Standards Branch to the IOPC.

“We remain committed to addressing any misconduct of any kind, at any rank, and will take swift and robust action to ensure we maintain the confidence of the public we serve.”

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