CCTV captures NT officer threatening to ‘belt the f***’ out of teens in watch house

CCTV footage has captured a police officer shoving and verbally abusing a teenage boy in an NT watch house, before threatening to ‘belt the f*** out’ of three others

Two police have been the subject of an investigation following the arrest of four youths in Alice Springs in 2018. Picture: ABC

CCTV footage has captured an NT police officer shoving and verbally abusing a teenage boy in the Alice Springs watch house, before threatening to “belt the f*** out” of three others.

The vision, obtained by the ABC following a Freedom of Information request, shows the officer shoving the youth into a counter while calling him a “c***”.

The four youths had been arrested after allegedly stealing a car and leading police on a high speed car chase.

While two officers are standing with the boy at the charge counter, the teenager says: “I’d smack you in the head every day”, the ABC reported.

The comment seems to prompt one officer to grab the boy’s arm and twist it around his back, as the second officer asks “did you threaten me?”

The NT Police Association (NTPA) president Paul McCue today slammed the ABC for the “sensationalist” report, saying the broadcaster “should be ashamed of their continual efforts to discredit the good work that police continue to do across our community through sensationalist journalism such as this”.

In its story, the ABC reported an officer can be heard saying “you’re a little c***, that’s all you are” and “(sit the) f*** down, threaten a police officer in a f***ing police station get knocked the f*** out.”

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When speaking to the four youths a police officer says: “I’m in the mood to f***ing lose my job tonight and I don’t mind losing it over belting the f*** out of one of you little c***s.”, the ABC reported.

The incident occurred in March 2018, less than six months after the end of the Royal Commission.

The incident has come under fire by the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency.

The NT Ombudsman investigated, however the outcome of any disciplinary action is unknown.

Mr McCue said NT Police continue to do an outstanding job, “attending thousands of jobs each and every week”.

“To single out an event from years ago is outrageous, and one has to question the real purpose for doing so,” the police association president said.

Mr McCue queried why this particular event had been singled out and cautioned those making comment on a video that did not show the whole picture.

“The NTPA questions the real reasons behind release of this manipulated footage which is several years old,” he said.

“It serves no other purpose other than to divide the community and hide the real problem of what is going on in the community, such as why we have children, sometimes very young, walking the streets each and every night unsupervised and without appropriate care.

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“The footage is not played in full, and the matter has been dealt with through the complaints process. That is where it should end.”