Viral Video Sparks Debate: Ex-Cop Reveals What Really Happens in Police Encounters

4.4 Million Views Later, a Former 999 Met Police Response Officer Breaks Down a Controversial Arrest and Shares His Expert Perspective. Is Social Media Judging Too Harshly?

It’s that time again—another viral video making the rounds on social media, racking up over 4.4 million views. As you might expect, the comment section is overflowing with opinions from people who have likely never served on the (very) thin blue line. Unfortunately, being a "professional bystander" doesn’t count as experience.

The footage in question shows three police officers attempting to convince a male to emerge from behind a gate. As expected, initially, it would appear to an observer that he has no intention of cooperating, forcing the officers to try different tactics to extract him from a tight space where he appears to be lodged.

Let me be clear: this isn’t about criticising the actions of these officers. Instead, I want to offer my perspective on what I might have done in a similar situation—and perhaps, what I wouldn’t have done—if I had been tasked with taking this individual into custody.

For context, after serving in the military (I joined at 16), I spent nearly a decade on a 999 response team in the East End of London. I mention this not for self-importance but to give some weight to my words.

Watching this incident unfold made me wince a little.

Despite working in one of the liveliest boroughs in London, I only had to deploy CS spray a couple of times. There were several reasons for this, but a big factor was that I’m 6'5" and hit the gym five times a week. When reasonable force was needed, I rarely had to rely on CS spray—I found my ASP baton had a far greater deterrent effect when dealing with someone who wanted to fight.

Now, here’s the thing. Over 300,000 people read my blogs every month, but only a small handful support my work as paying subscribers. That’s why my full breakdown of this incident (including the video) is available exclusively to them. It’s not about gatekeeping—it’s about having a more considered, professional discussion rather than broadcasting these insights to the entire internet.

If you’d like to be part of that group and gain access to exclusive, in-depth analysis, sign up today for premium access. But if subscribing isn’t for you, no problem—feel free to check out the hundreds of free articles and blogs I’ve already written.