An Australian police officer has been caught on CCTV threatening a group of teenage boys in Alice Springs.
The Northern Territory cop's actions were discovered thanks to an ABC Freedom of Information request.
The incident occurred in March 2018 and took place in the watch house. Police were processing five boys, aged between 12 and 16, after they were arrested for stealing a car and leading police on a pursuit.
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The group were asked to remove their clothing and shoes and during this process one of the boys could be heard saying: "I'd smack you in the head every day."
In response, one of the police officers grabbed and twisted the boy's arm behind his back and placed his head onto a countertop.
He was then heard saying: "Every day? Every day? Today's your day, you little c***. Don't f***ing put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
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"You can't f***ing do it, can you, because you're a little c***. That's all you are. [Sit the] f*** down - threaten a police officer in a f***ing police station, get knocked the f*** out."
The police officer said the boy was a 'f***ing waste of space' before berating the rest of the boys.
"Anybody else want to be f***ing smart? I'm right in the mood to lose my job tonight and I don't mind losing it over belting the f*** out of one of you little c***s," the police officer could be heard saying.
Two police officers went through disciplinary proceedings for the incident, according to the ABC, however Northern Territory Police aren't legally obliged to disclose the nature of the punishment. NT Police have also been asked to condemn the officer's actions, however they have not.
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After reviewing the CCTV footage, Ombudsman NT Peter Shoyer said the officers were 'substantially exceeding the bounds of appropriate conduct... from the perspective of the force and language used and their treatment'.
NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said the video is a reflection that 'sometimes we don't always get it right'.
In a statement to the ABC, Commissioner Chalker said: "I'm not going to throw anyone under the bus here - I think the footage speaks for itself.
"Anybody who views that with a level of sympathy and empathy and who's prepared to walk in the footsteps of police who've been there and done that will have a greater level of understanding that, at some point in time, things just get too full.
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"It's a sad reflection to see something that's two and a half years [old] get the prominence that it has."
Featured Image Credit: NT Police/ABCTopics: Australia