South Yorkshire Police say force ‘justified’ after video of officers confronting teenage girls
South Yorkshire Police carried out a review after a clip was widely shared on social media of an incident in Rotherham at the weekend.
Police have said the use of force during in an incident where officers were filmed appearing to shove, hit and draw Tasers on a group of teenage girls was “proportionate, necessary and justified”.
South Yorkshire Police carried out a review after a clip was widely shared on social media of an incident in Rotherham at the weekend.
It shows police being confronted by a number of girls in party dresses before one of the officer appears to shove one of the teenagers, drawing his baton.
As the incident quickly develops, some the teenagers end up on the floor as two officers point Tasers at the group.
One of the officers appears to hit out at a girl as she lunges at him.
The clip shows at least six officers attended the incident.
The force said it had now reviewed all available footage, including bodyworn video, and written accounts from all officers.
It concluded there was “an opportunity for learning around de-escalation” but that “considering what happened before and during the clip, the use of force was proportionate, necessary and justified to keep all involved safe”.
South Yorkshire Police 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.”
The force went on to say: “The public’s trust and confidence in policing is 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.”