Local authority enforcement officers have been caught on video threatening to ‘knock out’ an individual when they weren’t wearing their uniforms.
A video has gone viral of two workers intimidating a member of the public, who recorded the officers as they accosted him in Harrow, northwest London.
One enforcement officer ensures that both of their body-worn cameras are turned off. His colleague can be heard saying ‘is it off?’, which he confirms it is, the Daily Mail reported.
Two officers can then be seen in the video telling the person recording they will ‘rip his teeth out’.
It is unclear what caused the dispute, thought to be about money, and the identity of the individual being threatened is unknown.
Harrow Council has since dismissed the two staff members, saying it takes incidents where officers turn off their body-worn cameras ‘very seriously’.
In the short video, an employee wearing a red hood said to the person filming: ‘Come to the alleyway right now, we’re going to show you what time it is. We’re going to show you what time it is, bruv.
‘We’re going to make sure you can’t work no more and earn no money because you’re trying to butt in with our money – and bruv, do you know what I do to people like that? Come here now. Let’s go.’
Standing in a bus lane, the officer then signals for the citizen to cross the road, saying: ‘I swear, when I’m not in uniform, I’m going to knock you the f*** out and rip your teeth out. Do you know that? If I give you one punch, I’ll knock all your teeth out.’
A worker wearing a black hoodie said that ‘we’ve got people to feed’, prompting the cameraman to reply: ‘I don’t know why you’re getting aggressive.’
The red-hooded officer threatened to call the police, warning: ‘If I call a police officer for you, he’ll f*** you up, you know, because we work with them and you didn’t know that, did you? So come across the road now because I’m going to show you what time it is.’
The external workers were employed by Kingdom Services Group, an agency hired by Harrow Council.
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A partnership with Kingdom Local Authority Support to assist the council’s internal teams in dispensing fixed penalty notices is mentioned on its website.
According to company literature, the business offers ‘local authority support’ intended to be ‘committed to helping local authorities create safer, cleaner and more welcoming communities’.
Harrow Council said the workers were employed by Kingdom Services Group.
A Harrow Council spokesperson stated: ‘We are aware of a video circulating in relation to the conduct of two enforcement officers. Swift action was taken as soon as the incident and complaint were raised to us and Kingdom in May, and the individuals involved no longer work for Kingdom.
‘We take any instance of officers deliberately turning off body-worn cameras extremely seriously.
‘Threats of violence towards members of the public are wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.’
A Kingdom Services Group spokesperson stated: ‘As soon as the incident and subsequent complaint were brought to our attention in May, swift action was taken.
‘The individuals concerned no longer work for Kingdom Local Authority Support.
‘We take any instance of officers deliberately disabling body-worn cameras extremely seriously, as these devices are an important safeguard for both the public and our staff.
‘Equally, any threats of violence towards members of the public are wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.’
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