An investigation has been launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following an incident in which a 13-year-old black child was surrounded by armed police after his water pistol was mistaken for a real gun.

The incident, which occurred in Hackney in July, left the young boy with soft-tissue injuries and has raised concerns of racial bias in policing.

The boy’s mother described the incident as “deeply traumatic” for the entire family and expressed feeling “betrayed” by the Metropolitan Police and IOPC.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, she said: “How can I be expected to place my faith in the police to investigate themselves when they have treated my son and me with contempt?”

She added: “I feel broken by it all; distraught because I was not able to protect my child from what happened.”

The IOPC initially recommended that the Metropolitan police investigate the complaint internally, but later reconsidered its decision after the police force made a second referral containing “new allegations of race discrimination and adultification.”

Charmaine Arbouin, the IOPC regional director for London, stated: “This was clearly a distressing incident for this boy, his sister and mother and it is right that the complaint is investigated.”

She emphasised that the decision to investigate independently would enhance transparency, considering the concerns expressed by the local community in Hackney and beyond.

“We appreciate how upsetting this has been for the family and I hope this will provide assurance to the child’s mother that she has been heard,” Arbouin added.

The Alliance for Police Accountability (APA), a campaign group, condemned the treatment of the boy, asserting that his brightly-coloured water pistol was unmistakably a toy and that the incident demonstrated the “adultification” of black children.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, issued an apology to the family, acknowledging that the incident was “extremely distressing”. He expressed a desire to help the public understand the reasons behind the police response and emphasised that the apology did not detract from the recognition of the trauma caused to the boy.