New CCTV footage of officers coming under attack at Manchester Airport shows “we need to protect the protectors”, the police federation has claimed.
The footage revealed that police appeared to have been violently set upon by two men before an officer responded by tasering one of them and appearing to stamp on his head as he lay on the ground.
Police Federation said the new footage cast the incident in “a very different light”, adding that “we need to protect the protectors”.
Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said the new footage gave a “different perspective altogether”, adding: “We lost over 5,000 colleagues in the year to March voluntarily leaving. Assaulted repeatedly, poorly paid for the risks, slagged-off by clueless idiots.
“After this week that trend will only accelerate. I don’t blame any of them.”
A police officer was suspended following the incident pending a criminal investigation for assault by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Commenting on the actions of the suspended officer, Mr Cooke stated: “You don’t know what the officer had just witnessed, nor the threat he perceived at that moment. Neither do I.
“His honestly held belief at that time is what matters. What we do know is that some extreme violence towards officers led up to this.”
‘A difficult and dangerous job’
The Greater Manchester Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, added that it had been contacted by “many members of the public” offering support for GMP officers “doing a difficult and dangerous job”.
Federation sources pointed out that more than five of GMP’s officers were assaulted every day. Some 1,861 officers in the force were assaulted last year, an average of more than 35 every week.
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, urged the public and politicians not to “rush to judgement” over the airport incident.
Speaking on Sky News on Sunday morning, Mr Burnham said: “It’s a complicated situation, a very violent situation, actually, and there were issues on both sides.
“And that’s why I asked other people not to rush to judgement because of the complexity of it.
“And simply nobody out there – everyone who’s having their say – nobody has got all of the facts.”
Mr Burnham in particular criticised statements by Lee Anderson, the Reform MP, who praised the police and described the man kicked in the head by an officer as an “animal”.
Mr Burnham said: “We’ve got to allow the authorities to do their job. We can’t live in a country that has summary justice.
“There is a criminal investigation into this and into the police and the investigation has to take place without a Member of Parliament prejudicing that. MPs should let the police do their job without piling in.”
The Mayor emphasised that the incident had appeared to have begun on a plane, before continuing in the arrivals area and culminating in the police intervening.
“The truth is often complex and lies somewhere in-between,” he said.
The new footage, obtained by Manchester Evening News, shows three police officers – one man and two women – walking through a group of people towards a man dressed in light blue who is facing a ticket machine.
Repeated blows
While trying to restrain the man, the male officer appears to push his head down as his two female colleagues stand beside him.
Other members of the group then approach, with one appearing to grab the officer in an attempt to free the detained man. Punches are exchanged, with the officer pulled to the ground as he receives repeated blows.
Meanwhile, the detained man appears to break free from the female officer before punching her and her colleague in the head and face, with one ending up on the ground.
The male officer can then be seen holding his Taser towards the man from the wider group who appeared to punch him.
The man who freed himself from the officer’s grip seems to run at the officer from behind, throwing a number of punches towards him as he holds his Taser in the air.
The man grapples the officer to the ground, before turning over onto his stomach and lying face down. A woman is also seen to be kneeling next to him.
The officer then stands up and points his Taser towards the man. Then he appears to kick and then stamp the man’s head as he lies on the ground.
The incident took place after the two men – named by their lawyer as Fahir and Amaad Khan – claimed a male passenger pushed his trolley into their mother following an argument on board a Qatar Airways flight from Pakistan via Doha.
A “violent altercation” erupted in a Starbucks coffee shop in Terminal 2, prompting the arrival of the police officers.
After seeing the new footage Akhmed Yakoob, the men’s lawyer, said: “Nothing can justify a kick to the head to a defenceless man and a stomp to the head. Those are my views. These officers are highly trained, they shouldn’t be losing control or seeing red.”
Mr Yakoob has been vocal on TikTok about the incident, but claims he has helped to defuse tension in the community over his clients’ treatment by police.
The IOPC said a police constable was under criminal investigation for assault but underlined that did not necessarily mean criminal charges would follow.
After reviewing both sets of footage, Dal Babu, a former Metropolitan Police superintendent, said: “The part which I think is excessive is when the man was down and was stamped on the head. That was excessive.
“There are perhaps some lessons for GMP to learn in terms of their engagement with the community.”
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Babu added: “Now is a time for calm and it’s not necessary for any protests or people to come out on the streets. People need to wait for the outcome of the IOPC investigation.”
Kate Green, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester and the council’s lead on policing and crime, said: “The footage that emerged over the weekend gives people a more complete picture of the events that led up to the incident we all saw last week.
“As both the Mayor and I said, this was a complex situation that escalated very quickly and there are issues for both sides. This is why we urged people not to rush to judgment.
“The Mayor and I are determined that the right processes are being followed. Four individuals were arrested and are now on police bail, and GMP have appealed for witnesses.
“In parallel to this, the IOPC will continue its criminal investigation into the police officer’s conduct. The most important thing now is to allow these investigations to move forward without interference or pre-judgement.
“We all want to see the investigations concluded as quickly as possible, but it’s right that we now step back and allow both GMP and the IOPC to carry out their work.”
The watchdog confirmed that, after the conclusion of its investigation, a decision would be made over whether to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.
