Video captures "disturbing" images of policeman beating teen [1]
Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - 19:19. Updated on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - 21:41.
A video that appears to show a Tongan police officer repeatedly punching and kicking a teenager, who is not retaliating, has caused outrage among Tongans today after it was posted on a Facebook page.
Tonga's Police Commissioner Grant O'Fee, said he viewed the "disturbing images" this afternoon. A complaint had been received and a full investigation was underway.
“We have not backed away from this issue and we won't start now,” he said in a statement.
“This is a serious blow to our effort to gain the trust and confidence of the public, nonetheless we will pursue this complaint vigorously,” Commissioner O'Fee stated.
He is appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward to help with the investigation or to contact the email: witness4tongapolice [at] gmail [dot] com (to which the Police Commissioner has full access), or to contact telephone number 21 626 or mobile number 771 6810.
The video, probably shot from a cellphone at a sports ground, was published this morning on the Facebook page of "I'm Proud to be Tongan". It shows a uniformed officer taking hold of a teenage boy wearing a blue t-shirt. The boy appeared to be standing over an Atele student on the ground. The police officer pushes the boy and isolates him from a group of students. The officer can be seen punching the boy around the head, until he falls to the ground against a fence, where the police officer can be seen kicking the prostrate teen.
The posting of the video had attracted over 260 comments by this evening, most condemning the heavy-handed police action.