SIX Metropolitan Police officers have been accused of torturing drug-dealer suspects, using the infamous CIA-approved waterboarding technique.
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Waterboarding covers a variety of drowning-based methods. These include shoving a suspect’s head in a bucket of water up to the point of choking and using a wet cloth over a suspect’s mouth and nose to tease out a drowning response in the body.
It is a technique used amid much controversy by the American military in Iraq and at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Despite the seriousness of the alleged crimes, the six officers have not been arrested, but have been suspended. The Independent Police Complaints Commission, now in charge of a full-on probe, has plans to bring them in for questioning.
“All six officers will be criminally interviewed under caution,” said a spokesperson for the IPCC.
According to The Times, which broke the story, the torture claims came out during an on-going inquiry into alleged events involving officers based at Enfield police station.
In February, nine Enfield-based officers were placed on restrictive duties after being accused of stealing goods including flat screen TVs and computers from members of the public.
“Whilst the investigation is ongoing it is not appropriate to make assumptions,” said a spokesperson for the Met.
“These are serious allegations that raise real concern. The Met does not tolerate conduct which falls below the standards that the public and the many outstanding Met officers and staff expect.
