Police watchdog issues update after video 'shows man kicked and hit on the ground' during arrest

The police watchdog has contacted Greater Manchester Police after video footage emerged which appears to show a man being kicked while on the ground during an arrest at Manchester Airport. A holidaymaker filmed the footage at around 1pm on Sunday (December 29) before sending the clip to the Manchester Evening News.

It appears to show a man being punched, kicked and kneeled on by police whilst on the ground during an arrest near an airport bus stop. It's understood that officers were responding to reports of a man being drunk and disorderly, who had been denied entry onto a bus and caused a disturbance.

The M.E.N. understands neither the suspect nor a member of the public made a formal complaint about the incident. In a statement issued this morning (Tuesday), the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had been in touch with GMP about the video footage.

An IOPC spokesman said: "We are aware of footage circulating on social media appearing to show an incident involving GMP officers at Manchester Airport. We have made contact with GMP to find out whether it had received any relevant complaints or identified any conduct issues that would require a referral to us.”

CCTV and police body-worn camera footage is now set to be reviewed as part of a probe by GMP's professional standards unit. An officer is understood to have arrived to arrest the man, who resisted and was restrained, with multiple other officers then called.

During what appears to be a struggle, an officer is seen in the clip holding handcuffs. He appears to hit the man with his hands four times in the stomach.

The same officer then appears to kick him twice, before appearing to punch him three more times. One officer is seen in the footage