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Weeks after video emerged of transit peace officers taking a teenager to the ground during an arrest at an Edmonton LRT station, statistics obtained by Postmedia show such use-of-force cases are on the rise.

Transit peace officers reported 523 use-of-force incidents in 2017 — nearly double 2015’s total and up 118 from 2016 — according to internal City of Edmonton statistics obtained through a freedom of information request.

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In February, activists released video of a 15-year-old boy being arrested by transit peace officers at Belvedere Transit Centre in northeast Edmonton. In the video, two officers are seen detaining the youth, who is black, before taking him to the ground and handcuffing him.

The activists said he was waiting for a bus with friends when a peace officer accused him of loitering and told him to leave. His father told Postmedia be believes his son was profiled and that peace officers used excessive force.