Boy of 17 drowns as the police ‘refuse to go in water’
Witness tells how she was held back from jumping in
POLICE officers were yesterday accused of standing by while a boy of 17 they had been chasing drowned in a canal.
Witnesses said the officers refused to jump into the water to save the boy, who had run away from his home.
They were also accused of preventing members of the public who wanted to help from jumping in.
Up to 20 officers attended the emergency in East London but initially opted to throw Jack Susianta a life-ring rather than swim to him.
The A-Level student – the son of a former primary school headteacher and company director – was said to have been coughing, spluttering and ‘gasping for air for about 10 minutes’ after jumping into the canal, but officers still refused to enter the water.
It was only when Jack, a pupil at one of the best comprehensives in the country, failed to resurface that an officer finally stripped off and swam towards him.
But the rescue was too late and the officer was unable to find the boy’s body. Up to 100 onlookers watched the horror unfold. The Independent Police Complaints Commission was last night investigating the incident after the Metropolitan Police referred itself following the boy’s death.
The tragedy will once again raise concerns about how police forces across Britain are being paralysed by overzealous health and safety rules. There are none specifically preventing officers from entering water to attempt a rescue, with officers left to decide on a caseby-case basis.
But a number of incidents in recent years have highlighted how health and safety rules and guidance has curtailed everyday police work.
Jack’s friends said the ‘ lovely and friendly’ teenager had never been in trouble with the police. He had originally gone missing from his family home in Clapton, East London, on Tuesday before officers found the ‘high risk’ teenager and safely returned him.
He lived at the semi- detached home with his mother Anna, 56, an education consultant and former primary school head, and father Ketut, 46, a former company director.
Only a day after his initial disappearance, officers were once again called to the quiet suburban street when his parents became concerned for the youngster’s welfare.
After police entered the house, Jack smashed a window of the front downstairs room before running away as his brother Samuel, 20, tried to give chase.
Neighbours said they believed the youngster had a ‘psychotic episode’ and that his parents had called officers fearing for his safety.
The teenager, who was said to be bleeding, was missing for around an hour before he was seen on nearby Hackney Marshes.
He ran away as police gave chase, before jumping from a bridge crossing the Lea Navigation Canal.
Dogwalker Fiona Okonkwo, 42, described how onlookers stopped as the drama unfolded and asked police why they were not taking action. ‘It looked like he couldn’t swim, he was bobbing up and down gasping for air for about ten minutes,’ she said. ‘He was kicking his legs but was coughing and spluttering.
‘The police officers refused to jump in after him and said they can’t do it. I was going to jump in but they stopped me.’
She added: ‘The police told us there were weeds underneath the water, that it was too dangerous and they could get dragged down. It was only after about ten or 15 minutes, after (Jack) didn’t resurface, that one of the officers jumped in.’
Pina Onidi, 40, who lives on one of the houseboats moored nearby, said: ‘There were ten policemen there on the bridge and nobody did anything. I think people took a step back because they thought the police would take control.’
Fred McGruer, 55, said police had tried to rescue the boy by throwing life rings and ropes but he refused to take hold. ‘It was clear that he didn’t want to be rescued,’ he added. ‘ There was no one in the water helping him – that was the horrible thing about it.’
The teenager’s body was eventually recovered after a search. Flowers and candles were left at the scene yesterday.
The teenager, who was also known by his Indonesian name Komang, was studying maths, chemistry and media at Mossbourne Academy in Hackney. It became known as Britain’s strictest school when it was headed by current Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw whose robust approach to discipline saw its pupils achieve top exam results.
Jack’s father, originally from Indonesia, and mother were being consoled at the family home.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘A life aid was thrown but the male went under the water. An officer then entered the canal in an attempt to rescue him. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has confirmed they will be investigating the incident.’
‘Bobbing up and down, gasping for air’