Child gang attacks police after litter warning

A police officer was kicked, beaten and bitten when he was attacked by a gang of schoolchildren, some wearing uniform, when he asked a girl to pick up litter she had dropped.

The officer, who was patrolling a shopping precinct in Croydon, south London, with a colleague, was pulled to the ground during the assault by the group of up to 30 children and adults in the incident on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old officer said yesterday that the gang had behaved worse than animals. "[The girl] just threw litter on the floor and we asked if she could pick that up," he said. "As we walked away, she threw it at us. Then we went back to talk to her. They swarmed at the start. They feel they can overcome you like a gang. It was a good 30-plus youths.

"It is the behaviour. It is unbelievable... that someone could bite another human being like that. They were acting like animals, but I hate using the term 'animals' because animals would not do that. They have a reason for doing something."

The officer, who asked not to be named, said one 15-year-old girl had repeatedly bitten him on the shoulder and torso. A colleague who raced to his aid was pulled to the ground and kicked by others as several older men and women joined the fracas.

At one point more than 30 people were involved in the fight in North End, a popular after-school hangout for young people.

Detectives are studying CCTV footage of the attack, hoping to identify all of those involved.

The 15-year-old girl was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault. She has since been released on bail. The officer said that when her parents arrived at the police station they complained that the start of her summer holiday had been disrupted.

Two men, aged 34 and 38, were arrested yesterday in South Norwood, south London on suspicion of assault and violent disorder.

The police constable, who was recovering from his bite injuries, added: "It depresses you about the state of children today, the disrespect, not only for people who might not be in the police but anyone who is older. They think, 'I want respect, I want respect'. They keep going on about it. Telling people, 'I am going to F you up' is a favourite saying. It is dreadful."

Inspector Simon Ellingham said: "We have heard from several retailers in the area who were horrified at the level of violence used by the crowd against the officers. While we would never use the word 'mob', which is an inflammatory word, we can confirm that witnesses have described their initial fear that officers were going to be seriously injured or killed."

Local shop workers were reluctant to talk about the incident, but one 27-year-old, who declined to give his name, said: "I noticed that there were a group of girls sitting on the benches over there.

"Two police officers approached one of them, I don't know what it was over, but I think they were trying to arrest her. The other girls were trying to stop her being arrested, and then about half of Croydon turned up to see what was going on. There were at least 100 people out there, which made it difficult to see what was going on. At one point I could see the girl was handcuffed and on the floor. It was quite a bad incident, but I'm not surprised, because it's Croydon."

Neil Sullivan, 34, watched the aftermath of the incident from a window, He said: "From about three in the afternoon you see large gangs of 30 or 40 kids on North End, and it is daunting for shopkeepers and shoppers."