Victoria constable suspended for 2 days for kicking man

A Victoria police constable has received sanctions in a case that received wide attention aftervideo of an arrest surfaced on YouTube.

Last month,aB.C. police complaints commission hearing ruledConst. Christopher Bowser used excessive force when he kicked and kneed a man outside of a Victoria nightclub in March 2010.

Now, followingthe commission'sdisciplinary hearing, Bowser is being suspended for two days withoutpay. The adjudicator also ordered Bowser toundergosix hours oftraining in use of forcewith an emphasis on de-escalation training and must participate incounselling to address any potential anger management issues.

The Victoria Police Department says it is reviewing details of the decision to see if any changes need to be made in the force.

Other police forces in B.C. have had officers investigated by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner after arrests were filmed andshared.

In January 2011, a freelance photographer captured footage of a violent arrestin Kelowna, wherean RCMP officer kicked a 51-year-old man in the face.

The mountie involved in the incident, Const. Geoff Mantler, was suspended with pay pending the outcome of internal and criminal investigations. Mantler was later charged with assault causing bodily harm, andhis lawyer entered a guilty plea in court in December.

In March,footage of a Vancouver police officer allegedly punching a detained man in the headwas filmed by a friend of the man, and posted to Facebook.

TheOPCC determined the incident warranted an investigation, and one is currently underway.