THE Met Police have been slammed for “pitiful” policing after two officers apparently let a suspect go after he simply jogged away from them.
The man, known only as William, was apprehended by a male and female officer in central London yesterday and was being led to the back of a police van when he seized his moment.
Whilst waiting to cross the road, William turned and jogged away from the pair, who appeared to give chase for only a couple of steps before seemingly letting him go, using only reverse psychology to try and coax him back.
Video of the incident shows William, clad in a Puma top and brown trousers, standing on an island in the middle of the road with the two officers, with the waiting van parked by the kerb opposite them.
As the female officer stops traffic to allow them to cross, William suddenly turns away from the pair and breaks into a series of lumbering steps, jogging away slowly.
The duo briefly chases after him, and the male officer tries to grab at William’s top in vain, before the two quickly give up.
They stand in place as William jogs past a bus stop and the male officer hilariously says: “Leave it, goodbye, you’re no longer under arrest.”
As the pair watch William slowly stride away, the officer adds, “Goodbye William” as his female colleague eggs their suspect on, saying: “Go on then.”
William is left seemingly baffled by the pair’s reverse psychology, and stands at the bus stop for a moment looking back, confusedly asking: “What?”
The video of the incident was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “Man evades arrest from police in London by simply jogging away.”
Footage of William’s daring escape has gathered over 490 likes and more than 25 comments from social media users.
One user said: “No wonder crime is on the up, all you have to do is walk away.”
Another wrote: “Did they just try reverse psychology to get him to come back?”
A third added: “More embarrassment from our pitiful policing. Shameful behaviour.”
Another commented: “The Met are some of the worst police this country has to offer, the only old bill that are any good are armed response, only ones who act accordingly.”
A fifth replied: “They obviously just wanted him to leave and then he left. Job done.”
