TWO officers have been sacked for gross misconduct after they were found to have used “gratuitous violence” during the arrest of a 14-year-old boy.

A misconduct hearing, which ended on Wednesday, found PC Alexei Zalesskiy and PC Conor Ryan had breached the police’s own professional standards by punching and kicking the teenager and then lying about it immediately afterwards in their post-arrest statements.

The Indepdendent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) director Amanda Rowe said the dismissals showed “there will be serious consequences for police officers who use gratuitous violence and are dishonest”.

She added: “The force used on this child was neither reasonable nor proportionate in the circumstances. To compound matters, they then tried to justify their actions by lying on their initial statements following the incident.”

The boy’s arrest came after officers were called to Wilberforce Road in Finsbury Park in April  2021 following reports of a street fight. Despite a report of a knife, police found no weapons during stop and searches.

It was during attempts to disperse the group that the 14-year-old shouted and spat in an officer’s face, according to the IOPC which investigated the incident.

The child was chased on foot and then handcuffed and arrested for assault on an officer and a public order offence. The IOPC – which viewed body-worn cameras and CCTV during their five-month investigation – said the boy was punched by PC Zalesskiy at least once while PC Ryan kicked him in the neck and head as well as kneeing him in the thigh.

The teenager was not charged and no further action was taken.

The Crown Prosecution Service also declined to take action against the officers as they “felt the case did not meet the threshold for any charges”.

The officers were attached to the North Area Command Unit based in Haringey and Enfield.

Policing Lead Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines said: “Officers have to act with restraint and the public of course would expect them to be honest about their actions.

“Action will be taken against any officer whose behaviour falls below that which is expected. We are determined to drive up standards, and those who fail to meet those standards have no place in the Met.”