A police officer is being investigated after a video surfaced on the internet showing him kicking a man lying on the ground as he was being arrested, the police have confirmed.

Sources told Times of Malta the officer has, however, not been suspended from his duties.

The internal investigation could take up to two weeks and could lead to internal disciplinary action or even criminal charges being issued against the officer, they said.

The incident was first reported by Newsbook after a video emerged on social media earlier this week, showing four police officers arresting a man in St Julian’s on Sunday.

The video shows three of the officers detaining him as he lay on the ground. The fourth officer stands by and, at one point, bends over and appears to be helping them but it remains unclear what he was doing at that moment. He then stands up and kicks the arrested man.

Man was being handcuffed

The man was clearly lying on the ground when he was kicked and was likely being handcuffed because, seconds later, the officers pulled him off the ground in handcuffs.

In reply to questions, a spokesperson for the police said the case was being investigated by the Professional Standards Office.

The office is an internal unit within the police force tasked with investigating “complaints or allegations on matters of corruption, use of excessive force and the violation of the Force’s policies, procedures and code of ethics”.

The sources also said that the relatively young officer who was seen kicking the man is in the process of being promoted to inspector.

Reports of man hitting cars

The arrest was made after the police received reports that a man was walking along a road in St Julian’s hitting cars, including a police vehicle. The suspect reportedly managed to flee and when police caught up with him shortly afterwards, he attempted to escape again and resisted arrest, the sources said.

Video provided to Times of Malta shows the man throwing what appears to be a plastic container onto two separate police cars parked outside the St Julian's police station. 

The man then runs away when officers emerge from the station. Three officers give chase on foot, with another three getting into one of the cars and speeding off in the man's direction. 

The video uploaded onto social media was reportedly taken during the final moments of the arrest, when the man was being detained. Those events take place less than 100m away from the police station. 

Three other young police constables stand accused in court of having kidnapped and beaten foreign nationals on at least three occasions.

Also, two Transport Malta enforcement officers have been charged with a raft of crimes in connection with an assault on a man lying on the ground last October.