July 26th 2024.
The recent incident at Terminal 2 in Manchester Airport has caused quite a stir in the community, with many expressing their disapproval of the actions of the Greater Manchester Police. The video footage that emerged earlier this week was shocking and disturbing, showing a suspect being Tasered, kicked in the face, and stamped on by a firearms officer, despite already being face down on the ground with his hands behind his back. The same officer also proceeded to kick and strike another man who was seated with his hands in a surrender position, while bystanders who were filming the incident were pepper sprayed. In the midst of all this chaos, a middle-aged Asian woman in traditional dress and head covering was also pushed around by an officer, seemingly just trying to calm the situation.
As more and more videos of the incident surfaced on social media, hundreds of people took to the streets to protest outside Rochdale Police Station. In response, a police officer involved in the incident has been suspended and removed from all duties, after a thorough review of additional information. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is responsible for GMP, has acknowledged the public's understandable anger but has called for calm and urged people not to use this situation for political purposes. However, some believe that he has downplayed the gravity of the incident, focusing instead on unseen events that led up to it, including a police officer having her nose broken and two others receiving hospital treatment after being assaulted.
While it is never acceptable to assault a police officer, many are outraged by the excessive force used by the firearms officer, who seemingly had no justification for kicking and stamping on a suspect who was already under control and waiting to be handcuffed. It is also worth considering the possibility of race playing a role in this incident, as the family involved is of Asian heritage and even the woman in traditional dress was treated aggressively by armed officers. The protest outside Rochdale Police Station highlights the community's perception that excessive violence was used by a team of white officers against an ethnic minority family.
In the aftermath of this incident, there has been a call for swift action from Chief Constable Stephen Watson. However, instead of addressing the public directly, the only senior Asian member of the mostly white senior leadership team, Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry, was sent out to handle the fallout. Chaudhry attempted to calm tensions by acknowledging that the use of such force during an arrest is uncommon and can be alarming, but this has done little to ease the situation. This incident has only added to the already fragile trust between the police and the community, especially in light of a recent report by Dame Vera Baird on how GMP treats women in custody.
With the ink barely dry on Dame Baird's report, it is clear that GMP has a serious problem with how they treat women. The incident at Terminal 2, which also involved the pushing of a woman, now brings into question the police's relationship with Black and Asian communities. This will further damage the already fragile trust between the police and the public, which is unfortunate because, as a former Gold Firearms Commander in the Metropolitan Police, I can attest to the outstanding professionalism and dedication of the firearm officers I worked with. It is a shame that this incident has caused such a stir, and now it is important to wait for the IOPC investigation and respect the family's wishes for an investigation into the officers' actions.
Ultimately, this is a time for calm and reflection on how we can improve our police service to truly serve and respect the communities it is meant to protect. If you have a story to share, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear your views in the comments below.
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