A review of video footage that appeared to show South Yorkshire police officers shoving and drawing batons and stun guns on teenage girls has found the “the use of force was proportionate, necessary, and justified to keep all involved safe”.
South Yorkshire police initially described the footage as appearing “nothing short of shocking” but a review by its professional standards department found that while there “is an opportunity for learning around de-escalation” the actions were appropriate.
The footage, widely shared on social media over the weekend, shows officers being confronted by a number of girls dressed up for a night out before one of the officers appears to shove one of the teenagers and then draws his baton.
An onlooker can be heard to say: “Why’s he squaring up to them?” as the incident quickly develops and some of the teenagers end up falling to the ground, with one landing against a police car as two officers point stun guns at the group. One of the officers appears to hit out at one of the girls as she lunges towards him.
The clip shows at least six officers attended the incident, with several male officers involved in the confrontation with the girls.
In an initial statement, the force said “the short clip on social media of the police response to an incident in Rotherham over the weekend appears nothing short of shocking” and that the professional standards department would carry out a review.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, however, the force said: “As is often the case, the clip which has been posted on social media shows only a few seconds of a much longer police response to a 999 call – reporting a fight involving many young people. Having viewed the clip in isolation, it is understandable that local and wider communities have some concerns.
“Our Professional Standards Department has now reviewed all available footage, including body worn video, and written accounts from all officers. The assessment has determined that there is an opportunity for learning around de-escalation but, considering what happened before and during the clip, the use of force was proportionate, necessary, and justified to keep all involved safe.”
Before the review was concluded, the mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, said he was “appalled” by the footage.
He told ITV News: “I’ve asked the police, the chief constable, as a matter of urgency, to review the evidence, and then if the highest standards of police conduct have not been met, then to take swift action.
“I would expect the chief constable to take the strongest possible action against the officers if they are indeed found to have done wrongdoing. They have to look at the whole evidence – I don’t want to prejudge what the whole evidence might show – and sometimes clips on social media can be misleading.
“But on the face of what I’ve seen, I was appalled by it.”
South Yorkshire’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, Kilvinder Vigurs, said she was horrified by the footage of the incident, which took place in the Rawmarsh area of Rotherham.
“It is shocking and I know people will be distressed by it,” she said.
Vigurs said the public must have confidence that policing was fair and accountable, “especially when it involves young people”, and that when force was used “it must be done reasonably and proportionately”.
In its statement, the force said the public’s trust and confidence in policing was dependent on “openness and accountability”.
“As such, while this incident did not meet the national criteria for independent assessment, we took the unprecedented step of requesting peer review from another police force. The review upheld the determination.”
