Policeman suspended in excessive force probe

A Canadian policeman has been suspended with pay while police investigate a November arrest captured on videotape in which a woman’s head was slammed down on an automobile while she was handcuffed.

Police Chief Vince Bevan said the suspension of Constable Martin Cardinal was ‘‘in the interest of maintaining public confidence in policing services in Ottawa,’’ according to newspaper reports yesterday.

The videotape shows a policeman standing behind a handcuffed woman who is leaning over a police car.

The policeman twice pushes the woman down so her head audibly hits the car.