Police officer suspended after airport kicking video

A police officer has been suspended after a video circulated online of a man being kicked and stamped on the head at Manchester Airport.

An officer had been removed from all duties after a “thorough review of further information” of the incident, which took place on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.

The footage showed a uniformed male officer holding a Taser over the man who was lying on the ground at Terminal 2 before kicking him twice at about 20:30 BST.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who has met the home secretary over the incident, has appealed for calm.

After the meeting, Yvette Cooper said she understood the “the widespread distress" the footage had caused, adding she had spoken to police about the "urgent steps" they are taking.

She said it was "essential" police had the trust of communities, and the public "rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe".

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it understood the “deep concerns" that had been "widely raised".

The footage sparked a protest outside Rochdale police station on Wednesday night, with hundreds of people gathered, and chants of "shame on you" heard.

In the build-up to the incident shown in the clip, a police spokesman said that firearms officers had been punched to the ground after trying to make an arrest following a fight in the airport.

There was a "clear risk" their weapons could be taken from them, the police spokesman said, adding all three had been taken to hospital, one with a broken nose.

Four men were later arrested on suspicion of assault and affray, and all have since been bailed.

It remains unclear what led to the incident, but Mr Burnham said he thought there had been “an issue on a flight coming into Manchester”.

“When the flight landed, two individuals were waiting for their mum, who said there had been an issue,” he said.

“She pointed somebody out and there was an altercation in the arrivals hall.”

He said those involved had been “followed by camera through the airport and then we get to the scene that people have seen in the car park area”.

Mr Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester he had seen "the full footage" that showed a "fast-moving and complicated situation in a challenging location – it’s not clear cut".

"Time has been taken to get a clearer picture of what has happened," he said, adding that an investigation needed to proceed now "in a thorough and measured way".

Amar Minhas from Leeds was travelling through the terminal with his family when he saw officers approach the man to arrest him.

“They pinned him up against a wall”, he told the BBC, before another man tried to intervene and a fight broke out, with the pinned man throwing punches until he was Tasered to the floor, when the officer kicked him.

Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer has said he "completely understands" the public’s concern over the footage.

Sir Keir said the home secretary was being kept updated.

Former chief superintendent of the Met Police, Dal Babu, told BBC Radio 4 the police actions were "appalling and unnecessary" and in his opinion racism played a part in the incident.

He said the men were arrested for affray and assault, not offences at the “serious end” like attempted murder, gross bodily harm, or malicious wounding.

"I think racism played a significant part in this,” he said, adding GMP had been “slow out of the block in understanding the seriousness” of the incident at a time when trust in police was “so low”.

Many of those who spoke to the BBC in Rochdale about the video asked to remain anonymous.

One woman said: "If I were to kick a person in the face, I would be arrested and sentenced, not have the charges dropped and a policeman should be treated the same."

Meanwhile, a man in the town said: "The police reaction was wrong but I don't know what the context is.

"We need to see the full picture. But when you're kicking a man who can't defend himself - it's exceeding the need for force."

Usman Nawaz from the Rochdale Community Alliance, said the “extremely disturbing” footage was “not the policing we recognise in this country”.

Mr Nawaz said the people of Rochdale had “generally had a very good relationship with our police”, but that the force must “get a handle on this really quickly” or mistrust could grow between police and local communities.

The force said in its latest statement, external that it would “continue to meet” with Greater Manchester residents and elected representatives to discuss concerns raised about the footage.

It said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the incident.

The MP of the man who was filmed being kicked told the House of Commons the video was “truly shocking and disturbing”.

Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, said he was meeting the man's family later today.

He said police faced a difficult job but that they had to expect the highest standards of conduct in their duties.

The Leader of the House, Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central, also said the footage was “incredibly disturbing", adding that there was "understandably a lot of concern”.

IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said the police watchdog was investigating the “level of force” used by a GMP officer in the incident, adding it was “vitally important” all the circumstances were investigated.

She said inquiries were at an early stage, but a “significant amount of body-worn video and CCTV footage” of the incident had been secured.

“We appreciate people want answers and we will work to provide those answers as quickly as we can,” Ms Bates said.

A spokesman for GMP's police federation said it was supporting the suspended officer, as well as “all of our colleagues who were involved in this incident”.

They added: "Everyone has the right to a fair hearing where all sides of the story are told and context is provided."

Additional reporting by Yunus Mulla and Rumeana Jahangir, BBC News.

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