Merseyside Police reviewing complaint after officer appears to punch youth in video
A complaint has been received by Merseyside Police after a video appeared to show an officer punching a youth in the stomach and chest in Speke, Liverpool, on Friday evening.
Merseyside Police said they are reviewing a complaint received after a video shared widely on social media appeared to show an officer punching a youth in the stomach and chest.
The force said it had been made aware of a video circulating on social media showing an incident in Speke, a suburb of Liverpool, on Friday evening.
Officers were called to Alder Wood Avenue after they received multiple reports of anti-social behaviour in the area, the force said.
About 20 youths had reportedly been blocking roads with wheelie bins and “aiming fireworks at anyone who tried to remove them”, the BBC reported.
Merseyside Police said youths had reportedly “smashed windows of nearby flats, tried to start fires and threatened members of the public”, the BBC wrote.
A complaint relating to footage of a police officer had been received on Saturday and is being reviewed, the force added.
The video, shared widely on social media including X, appears to show a police officer lifting a youth lying on the floor before punching him in the stomach and chest with handcuffs, as both males are kneeling on the street.
The officer then appears to handcuff the youngster and pull him up to walk him across the pavement.
On the video, there appears to be at least seven other police officers, including one lifting another young male off the floor and walking him away and another searching a man further away.
Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department is reviewing the complaint, the force said.
The BBC reported that a spokesman for the force said: “We would like to stress that a short clip doesn’t always show the full context.”
A statement on the force’s website on Saturday evening read: “The matter is currently being reviewed by Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department.
“As a complaint has been received, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
“While we look to establish the full circumstances of what happened, we would urge people not to speculate and avoid sharing rumours or misinformation.”