South Yorkshire police investigate video of officers appearing to shove teenage girls

Force describes footage of police response to incident in Rotherham as ‘nothing short of shocking’

South Yorkshire police have described video footage that appears to show officers shoving and drawing batons and stun guns on teenage girls as “nothing short of shocking”.

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 floor, 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 a 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.

“Our PSD [professional standards department] are reviewing this and all available footage, including body-worn video, of the full response to the 999 call to understand what happened before, during, and after what is publicly available. Their assessment will inform our next steps.”

It added: “At South Yorkshire police, we want our officers to be professional and their actions to be lawful, proportionate and fair.”

The force declined to say on Tuesday whether any of the officers had been removed from frontline duties pending the internal review.

It is understood that police forces can only consider formally restricting or suspending officers after the completion of an assessment by a professional standards departments, a process that is under way in South Yorkshire.

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. “A full review is now under way by South Yorkshire police, including body-worn video, to establish exactly what happened, not only during the incident but before and after. That work is being undertaken as a matter of urgency.”

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”.

“I do not want to prejudge any investigation, but my clear expectation, and that of the public, is that officers uphold the highest standards of professional conduct,” she said. “It is essential for public confidence that any instances where this is not the case are dealt with swiftly and robustly.”