South Asian man gets justice after being wrongfully arrested

In an incident which took place on May 29 2020, a South Asian man’s car window was smashed by a police officer as he was suspected of carrying drugs near Cannon Street station in Central London.

32-year-old Ryan Colaco was then forced out of the car, pushed to the floor, handcuffed, put against a wall and then taken to the police station where he was strip-searched. However, the officers could not find any evidence against him.

After the incident, Colaco filed a complaint against the force which was “institutionally racist” and asserted that he has “never been involved with cannabis or illegal drugs”.

The City of London Police have investigated the incident and said that it has led to “organisational and individual learning”. Lawyer and Legal Director at Just For Public Law, Sophie Khan, who is representing Colaco added that the police force “has a window of opportunity to change the way they police black and minority ethnic Londoners”.

According to a representative of the City of London Police Black Police Association, who was part of the reinvestigation, the body-cam footage worn by the police on the day of the incident “does not support the statements from officers that Mr Colaco is fiddling with his waistband in an attempt to hide something”.