Manchester Airport video 'should be a watershed moment for GMP'

The incident at Manchester Airport where a GMP cop kicked and stamped on a suspect on the floor should be a ‘watershed moment for the force’.

That’s according to one councillor who attended a meeting with police bosses and Mancunian politicians on Friday morning (July 26). The meeting was held in the aftermath of two protests — one in Rochdale on Wednesday evening, and another in the city centre 24 hours later — and the man on the floor in the video was named as Muhammed Fahir.

On Thursday (July 25), mayor Andy Burnham appealed for calm and said the IOPC would be brought in to investigate the incident, which has seen the police officer concerned suspended. His calls for calm were repeated by Rochdale MP Paul Waugh, speaking on behalf of Mr Fahir’s family.

READ MORE: Manchester Airport arrest family 'appeal for calm' after two days of protest

Now, as the fall-out of the incident settles, top cops have held meetings with politicians — where it was put to them that an ‘improvement in communications, higher expectations of officers, and earning the confidence is vital’, Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Kilpatrick said.

He posted the following update on X, formerly Twitter: “Early this morning I joined other councillors in a meeting with Greater Manchester Police about the incident and footage from Manchester Airport. The clear feeling from every political party represented on the council was that the police had failed in their communications and procedures.

“Context of the events is dangerous with confidence in our police force at an all time low. I and others asked for assurances that this would be a watershed moment for the force. Improvement in communications, higher expectations of officers, and earning the