South Yorkshire Police Review Concludes Use of Proportional Force Was Justified During Confrontation with Teenage Girls

A review of video footage that appeared to show South Yorkshire police officers shoving teenage girls and drawing batons and stun guns has concluded that the use of force was proportionate, necessary, and justified to keep all involved safe.

South Yorkshire Police initially described the footage as “nothing short of shocking,” but a professional standards review concluded that while there is room to improve de‑escalation tactics, the officers’ actions were appropriate.

The footage, widely shared on social media over the weekend, depicts officers confronting a group of teenage girls who were dressed up for a night out. At one point an officer appears to shove a teenager before drawing his baton.

An onlooker is heard asking, “Why’s he squaring up to them?” as the confrontation escalates, causing some of the teenagers to fall to the ground. One girl lands against a police car while two officers point stun guns at the group, and an officer strikes out at a girl who lunges toward him.

The clip shows at least six officers attending the scene, with several male officers engaged in the confrontation with the girls.

In an initial statement, South Yorkshire Police said the short clip on social media of the police response to an incident in Rotherham over the weekend “appears nothing short of shocking” and that its professional standards department would conduct a review.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the force added that the clip posted on social media shows only a few seconds of a much longer police response to a 999 call reporting a fight involving many young people. The force said that viewing the clip in isolation makes it understandable that the community has concerns.

The department’s review examined all available footage, including body‑worn video, and written accounts from each officer. It found an opportunity to improve de‑escalation tactics but determined that, given the context before and during the clip, the use of force was proportionate, necessary, and justified to ensure safety.

Prior to the review’s conclusion, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said he was “appalled” by the footage.

Mr Coppard told ITV News: “I’ve asked the police, the chief constable, as a matter of urgency, to review the evidence, and then if the highest standards of police conduct have not been met, then to take swift action. I would expect the chief constable to take the strongest possible action against the officers if they are indeed found to have done wrongdoing. They have to look at the whole evidence – I don’t want to prejudge what the whole evidence might show – and sometimes clips on social media can be misleading. But on the face of what I’ve seen, I was appalled by it.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Kilvinder Vigurs said she was horrified by the footage of the incident, which occurred in the Rawmarsh area of Rotherham.

She said, “It is shocking, and I know people will be distressed by it.”

Ms Vigurs added that the public must have confidence that policing is fair and accountable, “especially when it involves young people,” and that when force is used “it must be done reasonably and proportionately.”

In its statement, the force emphasized that public trust and confidence in policing depends on openness and accountability.

The force also noted, “As such, while this incident did not meet the national criteria for independent assessment, we took the unprecedented step of requesting peer review from another police force. The review upheld the determination.”

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