A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, assault and assaulting an emergency worker following an incident at Westwood Cross.
Shortly after 3pm on Tuesday (August 24), an officer working at Westwood Cross was alerted to suspected shoplifters in the area.
The officer approached one of the suspects, who then tried to leave the area, leading to his arrest.
During the arrest, the officer involved was struck three times in the back. Another officer, who was off-duty but shopping in the area, came to assist.
A security guard was also assaulted during the incident, believed to have been at JD Sports, and later required hospital treatment.
A 15-year-old boy from Canterbury was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, assault and theft. He has since been released under investigation while enquiries into the incident continue.
Thanet District Commander Chief Inspector Rhiannan Pepper said: “It is completely unacceptable that any member of the police team should be assaulted while trying to carry out their duties. Assaults of this kind should never be considered part of the job.
“I would like the commend the actions of the off-duty officer who saw what was happening and immediately went to assist her on-duty colleague, ensuring the incident did not become more serious.”
