Manchester Airport incident – Latest news: Police officer who kicked man in video faces criminal investigation

The Greater Manchester Police Federation said everyone has the right to a fair hearing “in which all parties are able to understand the circumstances of the incident and provide relevant context”.

After the officer was suspended, a spokesman said: “As their staff association, we support the officer involved, and all colleagues involved in this incident, including the injured colleague.”

“We would also like to thank the many members of the public who have contacted us to offer their support to our hard working colleagues doing a difficult and dangerous job. We are grateful for that.”

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson expressed regret over the suspected attack at Manchester Airport, saying it had “caused shock and distress in some of our communities”.

“Throughout this week senior officers have been meeting with community representatives to ensure their voices are heard and this will continue – our instincts align with those who are calling for calm.

“While we are unable to publicly release further information or footage about this incident for conduct and criminal investigation reasons, we are committed to providing the Independent Office for Police Conduct with our fullest practical assistance.”

A police officer is under criminal investigation after a video showed him kicking and stomping on a man as he lay on the floor at Manchester Airport.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said on Friday that the officer, from Greater Manchester Police, had been informed he was under criminal investigation for assault.

A spokesman said the officer had also been issued a disciplinary notice advising him that he was under investigation for possible gross misconduct related to alleged breaches of police professional standards, including use of force.

It came after a video shot at the airport’s Terminal 2 on Tuesday circulated on social media showing a police officer kicking and stomping on the head of a man lying face down on the floor while a woman kneeled over him, sparking two nights of protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre.

Protesters against police action are said to be planning to stop flights from Manchester and block roads leading to the airport on Saturday.

The activists allegedly planned to block the departure gate for 12 hours from 1pm to 1am to disrupt normal operations at the airport.

They said they would continue to take action until their demands were met, which included that all police officers seen in the video be suspended and that the officer who kicked the suspect to the ground be “immediately arrested and prosecuted.”

The suspect’s family called for calm and urged extremists not to hijack the matter.

However, activists drew a warning poster which was posted on social media by lawyer Jilani Saeed.

Said said he personally did not support the action and did not approve of any behavior that disturbed public order. He wrote: “The purpose of my posting this message is only to inform the relevant departments and help those who travel tomorrow to make the necessary arrangements.”

Labour’s Rochdale MP has warned that “extremists” may try to exploit the Manchester Airport incident.

Paul Wolfe said: “Extremists of all kinds will try to exploit this and hijack it for their own ends and that’s the last thing this town needs.

“So my job is to make sure that family gets their wishes fulfilled and they responded to this with considerable dignity, which is to see peace and justice done.”

Asked what he expected to happen next, Mr Waugh said: “I really hope that if there is any protest, it is peaceful but that the family’s wishes are followed.

“People should listen to them. At the end of the day they are the ones at the heart of this and they will say ‘look, please let’s start the independence process now’.

“That’s our focus, along with making sure their families get the right medical help.”

The officer who sparked outrage over an incident in which a man was kicked after being subdued has been issued a disciplinary notice informing him that he is under investigation for a number of potential serious misconduct violations of police professional standards, including use of force.

Video of the incident shows the officers also beating a second man.

Meanwhile, the Independent Office for Police Conduct has also launched a criminal investigation into the attack on the first man.

‘Two-tier policing’ works both ways. The answer is to focus on each incident separately, writes former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal:

Greater Manchester Police said it “deeply regrets the events at Manchester Airport this week which have caused shock and distress in some communities”.

Some activists have called for the force to be disbanded.

Police Commissioner Stephen Watson said in a statement: “Senior officers have been meeting with community representatives this week to ensure their voices are heard and this will continue – we have the best instincts with those who are calling for calm.”

He said officers were committed to providing the fullest practical assistance to the independent office responsible for overseeing police conduct.

Protesters against police action are said to be planning to stop flights from Manchester and block roads leading to the airport on Saturday.

The activists allegedly planned to block the departure gate for 12 hours from 1pm to 1am to disrupt normal operations at the airport.

They said they would continue to take action until their demands were met, which included that all police officers seen in the video be suspended and that the officer who kicked the suspect to the ground be “immediately arrested and prosecuted.”

The suspect’s family called for calm and urged extremists not to hijack the matter.

However, activists drew a warning poster which was posted on social media by lawyer Jilani Saeed.

Said said he personally did not support the action and did not approve of any behavior that disturbed public order. He wrote: “The purpose of my posting this message is only to inform the relevant departments and help those who travel tomorrow to make the necessary arrangements.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has again called on the public to remain calm after two nights of protests sparked by the incident at Manchester Airport.

Mr Burnham said the situation was “complex” and people should not “jump to conclusions”. He added that investigations into the incident would continue and people should not “speculate” about what happened.

He said the city does not want people to “exploit” the situation to serve their own political interests or purposes.