A Thames Valley Police officer who punched a 13-year-old boy twice during an arrest has faced no disciplinary action over the matter.

The incident occurred on October 22 last year in Kedermister Park, Langley.

Police deployed PAVA spray - similar to pepper spray - against a crowd which gathered during the arrest.

The parents of the young teenager made a formal complaint to Thames Valley Police, and the Slough Observer has seen the subsequent report from the internal investigation.

The report found that the officer had given chase after spotting the teenager firing a slingshot at a squirrel.

The officer said that, at the time, he feared the slingshot could be used against people or property - and that the 13 year old could also have been carrying a knife.

The report found that this rationale was 'not unreasonable', despite there being 'no tangible evidence' to indicate further offences were likely to occur.

Moreover, when outlining the 13 year old's criminal history, the report makes no mention of any prior knife-crime offences.

Details in the report reveal the officer chased the boy into a car park, where he threatened to Tase him if he did not comply.

As the youth was being detained, an "angry" crowd gathered. It is understood that members of the boy's own family were among those present.

The officer struck the boy in the face, and used PAVA spray against his father. By this point, police backup had arrived, and they also used PAVA against the crowd.

The officer told the report's authors that he only punched the teenager once, in an attempt to restrain him. However, contradictory evidence including video footage from the scene revealed that he actually struck him twice.

The boy has never been charged over the incident with the slingshot.

The report states: "A slingshot being fired at wildlife does not fall within the definition of an offensive weapon."

In conclusion, Thames Valley Police decided not to formally discipline the officer. Instead, he has been made subject to a 'Practice Requiring Improvement' order.

The internal investigation found that the officer's conduct fell below the standards expected of members of the force. The report suggests that his decision to punch the boy - and that of his colleagues to use PAVA spray - likely inflamed the crowd.

However, it also acknowledged that officers felt "vulnerable" in the face of a tense situation.

The report reads: "It is always for the officer to justify the force used. When used against a 13-year-old then the justification is higher.

"[The 13-year-old] has a history of resisting police and there is evidence that he was swearing and physically resisting/verbally abusing police during his arrest and also afterwards throughout his journey to custody."

The boy's family have appealed the outcome of the internal investigation to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). A spokesperson for the IOPC said it is reviewing the decision not to discipline the officer.