A criminal investigation has been launched, according to the Tagesspiegel, after the man was identified from the piece of film which had been posted on Youtube.

The incident occurred last Sunday on the edges of the match between BFC Dynamo and Tennis Borussia. The film shows a man talking on the phone and not getting out of the way of the policeman in question. The officer then approaches him and punches him in the face.

It was shown to the authorities on Thursday, and by Friday afternoon the man was suspended from active duty and a criminal investigation launched.

Berlin police confirmed to the Tagesspiegel that the man in question holds the rank of Erster Polizeihauptkommissar – which means he could be in charge of up to 80 other officers, the paper says.

Latest figures for complaints of police violence show 155 investigations were conducted in 2007, with 13 officers convicted of attacks, five of whom were fined – the remaining eight were given suspended sentences of between eight and 20 months.