A Metropolitan Police officer, Pc Omer Farok, has been dismissed for gross misconduct after using excessive force against a homeless man in central London on June 15, 2024. The incident resulted in the man requiring hospital treatment for a head injury.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), officers responded to reports of a man entering an unattended vehicle. Pc Farok detained and handcuffed the man, who remained at the scene and did not resist. During the encounter, Pc Farok repeatedly pushed the man against a brick wall, called him an 'idiot,' and ignored requests for explanation.
Footage from the incident showed Pc Farok manipulating the handcuffs in a painful manner while accusing the man of resisting. The man could be heard shouting, "My hands are behind my back. How am I resisting? I'm not resisting," and "Stop hitting me against the wall. Why are you hurting me?"
IOPC investigators found that Pc Farok then took the man's upper body and "took him to the ground with force." Because he was handcuffed, the man fell face-first onto the pavement, sustaining a laceration near his right eyebrow that required hospital treatment and caused bleeding.
Despite the man lying injured and not resisting, Pc Farok continued to shout "stop resisting." The IOPC concluded its investigation in December 2024 and sent a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which charged Pc Farok with assault by beating. He was acquitted at trial in November 2025.
However, a subsequent gross misconduct hearing organized by the Metropolitan Police found the charges proven. The panel dismissed Pc Farok with immediate effect and he will be placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from future employment in policing. He was found to have breached standards of professional behavior regarding the use of force, authority, respect, and courtesy.
IOPC director of engagement Amanda Rowe stated that Pc Farok's actions were "not necessary, reasonable or proportionate in the circumstances" and risked damaging public confidence in policing. "Conduct of this nature risks damaging public confidence in policing and falls well below the standards expected of officers," Rowe said. "The officer has now been held to account following our investigation."