Croydon bus fare arrest: Police watchdog to investigate Met's actions

The woman was arrested on Whitehorse Road, Croydon

The police watchdog is to investigate the Metropolitan Police after a woman was handcuffed and arrested in front of her visibly upset child after wrongly being accused of bus fare evasion.

Footage of the mother shouting as two officers handcuffed her in Croydon, south London, provoked criticism online.

She was released when officers were told she had paid for her ticket.

The video was a "snapshot" of the incident, the Met said.

'Racially profiled'

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) received a "complaint referral" from the Met on Monday afternoon, with the complaint alleging the woman was "racially profiled and verbally abused by an officer".

IOPC director Steve Noonan said: "We have decided that an independent investigation is required to establish the full circumstances, including the actions and decisions made by the [Met] officers."

He recognised the video footage had "caused significant community concern".

• Police watchdog to review bus fare evasion arrest

The police officers were working with Transport for London (TfL) inspectors on Whitehorse Road, Croydon, when the woman was handcuffed on Friday morning.

The Met said the woman left the bus after not complying with a revenue inspector's request to check that she had paid for her fare.

According to the Met, she attempted to walk off and became "abusive" when asked to stop by police, and was arrested on suspicion of fare evasion and detained.

In the video, she repeatedly asks one of the officers to let go and says "I haven't done anything wrong", while a member of the public films what is happening and asks why she is being arrested.

Officers did eventually check her ticket, which was valid. She was then unhandcuffed and released.

'Trust taken a hit'

Despite not initially identifying any "conduct matters" the Met said it had voluntarily referred itself to the IOPC due to grave public concern.

Met Ch Supt Andy Brittain of the South Basic Command Unit spoke to the BBC about the incident

Met Ch Supt Andy Brittain, who covers Croydon, also told BBC London the force was trying to "find the lady involved, and to get her side of the story" and that "our comms perhaps could have been slightly better".

"Trust has taken a hit," he said.

TfL's head of policing and community safety Mandy McGregor said the transport body was "speaking to the police to understand the wider circumstances and will support them with their investigation to get to the bottom of what happened".

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