Police forced to apologize when man “leaves food for vulnerable family” in handcuffs

Police were forced to apologize after a man who said he was leaving food for vulnerable family members was threatened with a spray can and arrested.

The footage shows the moment a Greater Manchester police officer approached the man outside an address in Fallowfield, Manchester on Friday.

The man told the officer that he was “picking up a plant at the same time” and then asked, “Give me a ticket for what? You’re a boring guy, there are groups of people everywhere.”

He refuses to give his details to the male officer and is later told that he faces arrest for “breaking Covid’s guidelines” and is told to put his hands on his head.

The officer then threatens to spray him if he does not comply.

When the handcuffs are put on, the man stirs and tells him that the handcuffs hurt and begs him to “twist the top.”

Then they push him against a car and tell him to lean over it, to which the man says: “You keep saying things over and over again, you are not helping, you are not diluting the situation, you are doing worse. Because I came to leave some things “.

Then a woman is heard saying to the officer, “In the current situation, in the current pandemic, there are more pressing situations to deal with than coming and upsetting someone on your own.”

The officer says to the woman, “Listen … you will be next.”

Before the man is placed in a police vehicle, he tells several officers, “I am leaving food for vulnerable members of my family who cannot do anything, and I am taking a tree home.”

It is understood that the man was arrested and issued with a fixed penalty notice.

In a statement released Saturday, GMP said: “We are aware of images circulating about the actions of an officer in an incident at Fallowfield in Manchester.

“Although the matter is being thoroughly investigated by our branch of professional standards, our initial review shows that the incident was not handled in the professional manner that we would expect and we apologize for that.

“The public rightly expects the highest standards from our officers and we will investigate this matter thoroughly and adequately.

“A senior member of the force is speaking to the man and his family today.

“We ask the public to understand the tensions under which our officers are currently working and we hope that this apology is welcome to those involved.”

Police now have powers to fine people for leaving their home “without a reasonable excuse” under the new Health Protection Regulations that were passed by parliament earlier this month.