The police watchdog has contacted Greater Manchester Police after video footage emerged which appears to show a man being kicked while on the ground during an arrest at Manchester Airport. A holidaymaker filmed the footage at around 1pm on Sunday (December 29) before sending the clip to the Manchester Evening News.
It appears to show a man being punched, kicked and kneeled on by police whilst on the ground during an arrest near an airport bus stop. It’s understood that officers were responding to reports of a man being drunk and disorderly, who had been denied entry onto a bus and caused a disturbance.
The M.E.N. understands neither the suspect nor a member of the public made a formal complaint about the incident. In a statement issued this morning (Tuesday), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had been in touch with GMP about the video footage.
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An IOPC spokesman said: “We are aware of footage circulating on social media appearing to show an incident involving GMP officers at Manchester Airport. We have made contact with GMP to find out whether it had received any relevant complaints or identified any conduct issues that would require a referral to us.”
CCTV and police body-worn camera footage is now set to be reviewed as part of a probe by GMP’s professional standards unit. An officer is understood to have arrived to arrest the man, who resisted and was restrained, with multiple other officers then called.
During what appears to be a struggle, an officer is seen in the clip holding handcuffs. He appears to hit the man with his hands four times in the stomach.
The same officer then appears to kick him twice, before appearing to punch him three more times. One officer is seen in the footage holding down the man’s head, with another seen pinning down his feet.
The third officer can then be seen in the clip kneeling on the man, before appearing to strike him four more times. Another officer, seen to be holding the man’s head onto the ground, then appears to use his other hand to hit him in the face, before the man raises his hand as onlookers watch on.
A GMP spokesman said on Monday: “We are currently reviewing a video published online showing the arrest of a man at Manchester Airport’s bus terminal yesterday afternoon (Sunday, December 29 2024). We understand the concerns around the use of force shown on the clip and our professional standards unit is assessing all available footage including the officers’ body worn cameras and CCTV.”