Police officer caught ‘stomping’ on homeless man and dragging him across ground

A uniformed police officer was filmed ramming his foot into the stomach of a street sleeper as she appeared to try to pull him out of his sleeping bag.

Greater Manchester Police said The independent that the actions of the police officer outside Manchester Town Hall last September “fell below the level we expected”.

The force said it had since provided refresher training to the officer.

Charity Crisis said it was “concerned” by the incident, adding that homeless people should be respected by police officers.

The video first shows the officer pulling the man by his sleeping bag as she tells him “I told you so.” She then struggles with him as she appears to attempt to unzip his bag before pressing her foot on his stomach and shouting “stop it”.

The footage showed at least two other uniformed police officers at the scene.

The man, believed to be a refugee from Sudan, told the BBC he was injured and was hospitalized after the incident but has since recovered.

He said: “I was telling him I had to sleep. But she stomped her foot on my stomach.

The man claimed he woke up outside the town hall and after being told to leave, said there was nowhere to go.

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said: “It’s distressing to see people subjected to this kind of treatment.

“Such incidents traumatize and stigmatize those of us who are forced to sleep rough. We are concerned that such incidents are becoming more common and urge the Westminster Government to work with the police force to ensure officers receive the appropriate training to support people in need.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Greater Manchester Police were first informed of this disturbing video around September last year.

“The police officer’s behavior did not meet our expectations, particularly with regard to respect for all members of the community, and the officer’s actions were punished.

“The superintendent in charge of the city center personally discussed the incident with the officer and made it clear to him that his actions were unacceptable and should not be repeated.

“She and other employees received refresher training on how to handle similar situations in the future. »

Last week, figures released by the Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities revealed that the number of people sleeping rough in England increased by 27 per cent in the autumn of last year, compared to the previous year.

In Greater Manchester, 149 people were sleeping rough.

Reacting to the figure, Fran Darlington-Pollack, chief executive of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s charity, said urgent changes were needed to end “the avoidable homelessness created by current asylum procedures”.