Met Police officer warned for 'kicking down doors is our favourite thing' tweet
1 July 2020, 21:12
A Met Police officer has been warned after a branch of the force tweeted that “kicking down doors” was one of its “favourite things” to do.
The tweet from the MPSHomerton account, representing the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Homerton, Hackney, London, was swiftly taken down on Wednesday morning after it sparked an outcry.
The post, accompanying an image of officers ramming a door, read: “Kicking down doors is probably one of our favourite things. Another warrant conducted on #Victoria ward with the assistance of @MPSHomerton @MPSKingsPark @MPSHackneyWick.”
Now an officer behind the post has been reprimanded, Scotland Yard said.
A Met Police spokesperson told LBC News: “We are aware of an inappropriate tweet sent from the @MPSHomerton Twitter account.
“The officer who tweeted this has been given words of advice and the Professional Standards Unit have been made aware. The tweet has now been deleted.”
Twitter users weighed in to condemn the tweet.
Activist Owen Jones replied: “Really great tweet to send if you want to sound like a bunch of unhinged gangsters”.
Another branded it “absolutely shocking”, while one, posting a screenshot of the since-deleted tweet, wrote: “You'd think the police would know when you delete something online, it doesn't mean it's gone.”
Another said: “Just reinforces that the police should, and can, only police by consent. And subsequently there is no place for these moronic statements, philosophy nor behaviour.”
The embarrassing incident comes at a time when relations are strained between the Met and some ethnic minority communities in the capital, which boiled over into clashes at Black Lives Matter protests.
Hackney, in east London, is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the country, with over 40 per cent of its residents being non-white, while Homerton is home to a large black population.
Sian Berry, a member of the London Assembly police and crime committee, and the Green candidate for Mayor of London, warned the tweet risked worsening the reputation of the force.
“The Met says it wants to be the ‘most trusted police service in the world’ but if this tweet is from a serving officer it shows just how ingrained the wrong attitudes are,” she said.
“In my work, I see so many worrying incidents that contradict reassurances about there only being ‘bad apples’.
“Poor behaviour is evident in many experiences now being shared by black Londoners, as well as repeated data showing the Met disproportionately use their most aggressive tactics against non-white citizens.
“Our police want us to be proud of them, but gleefully boasting about bully tactics strays miles away from the idea of policing by consent, and will only worsen their reputation.”
