Two enforcement officers working for a London council were sacked after a video showed them threatening to rip out a man's teeth and knock him unconscious during an argument in the street.
The pair, both wearing hoods under bright purple jackets and black vests, confronted the man in Harrow, north-west London, accusing him of “messing with our money”. The footage, recorded by the member of the public, shows the men checking to make sure their own body-worn video cameras were switched off before the red-hooded officer launched his tirade.
“Two enforcement officers sacked after threatening to 'rip teeth out' of a man in Harrow, London.”
One officer told the man: “When I’m not in uniform, I’m gonna knock you the f--- out and rip your teeth out. I’ll come and throw you through the f---ing walls.” He then gestured for the man to follow him across a busy road to an alleyway as the altercation became more aggressive. The pair even warned the man that the police would help them beat him up.
The officers worked for Kingdom Services Group, a company that provides “local authority support” services to help councils create “safer, cleaner and more welcoming communities”. A council spokesman said swift action was taken as soon as the incident and complaint were raised in May, and the individuals “no longer work for Kingdom”.
“We take any instance of officers deliberately turning off body-worn cameras extremely seriously,” the spokesman added. “Threats of violence towards members of the public are wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
A Kingdom Services Group spokesman said they were aware of the video and described disabling body-worn cameras as “an important safeguard for both the public and our staff”. They added: “Equally, any threats of violence towards members of the public are wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”