Ticket inspector 'threw' teen: report

A ticket inspector slammed a teenage girl onto her back on a tiled railway station floor over a suspected $2.50 fare evasion.

The Victorian Ombudsman has found the officer used excessive force to bring down the 15-year-old girl at Flinders Street Railway Station in July 2013.

A departmental review exonerated the officer despite not interviewing the girl or other witnesses.

But CCTV footage of the incident was released in December 2013, sparking a public petition and moving Ombudsman Deborah Glass to investigate.

"It is disappointing that the use of force by authorised officers continues to be an issue despite two previous investigations and repeated recommendations," her report, released on Thursday, says.

The girl told the ombudsman she felt like a ball being tackled on the ground when three men held her down for more than eight minutes.

"(He) picked me up and he threw me on the ground and virtually nearly broke my back," the girl said, according to the report.

"I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I was screaming."

The officer said the girl had punched him in the face after trying to evade a fine.

The ombudsman said ticket inspectors only got half a day of practical training in how to use force.

Two of the officers involved said they did not plan on restraining anyone, and picked up techniques on an ad hoc basis.

Ms Glass found the officer had used excessive force and degraded the girl's human rights.

The ombudsman recommended responsibility for recruiting and training new authorised officers should be moved from Metro Trains to Public Transport Victoria.