Update on IOPC investigation into use of force arrests at Manchester Airport

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into an incident in which a number of men were arrested at Manchester Airport on Tuesday 23 July continues to make progress.

On Tuesday (6 August), we received a further referral from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) of a complaint, detailing several allegations, from one of the people involved. This will now form part of our independent investigation into the actions of police.

IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates said: “It is clear the situation at Manchester Airport was complex and escalated rapidly. The incident, which resulted in injuries to police officers and members of the public, has caused understandable concern and we are working hard to piece together all of the relevant events on that day.

“In parallel, Greater Manchester Police is investigating whether any criminal offences were committed by members of the public during the initial altercation and the subsequent arrests. These investigations are separate, and we are liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service to establish how they can progress in parallel.

“We are grateful to those who have assisted our investigation so far and we continue to gather and review substantial amounts of evidence. We are aware that more evidence is in the public realm and we continue to encourage people to contact our incident line with any relevant information.”

We have obtained body-worn video footage from officers in attendance, and reviewed a substantial amount of CCTV footage from inside and outside the airport terminal. We are also reviewing footage shared by the public via our dedicated reporting line, as well as on social media.

Our investigation will consider all of the circumstances of the incident including:

• the force used against three members of the public, two men and a woman,  who were part of an initial incident near the car park pay machines, during which the two men were arrested
• the force used by officers in relation to three other members of the public during an incident shortly afterwards, during which two men were arrested and one of the individuals was PAVA sprayed 
• whether the response, actions and decisions made by the officers were in line with local and national police policies and procedures

During the course of this investigation, due regard will be given to whether there is an indication that discriminatory behaviour may have influenced the treatment received.

As part of the investigation, we will also consider the allegations raised in complaints from those affected. These relate to the level of care provided to a woman who reported she received an injury during the arrests and a young child present at the time; the language and level of force used by police towards two of the men who were arrested; and the men’s subsequent detention in custody.

Any further referrals will be assessed in the usual way and could be included in our investigation.

On Friday 26 July we announced that a GMP police constable was under criminal investigation for assault in connection with the first arrests made at Manchester Airport on the same day.

A second GMP officer has since been advised they are under criminal investigation for assault relating to an incident in which two other men were arrested. They are also being investigated for potential gross misconduct for alleged breaches of police professional standards including their use of force.

The serving of notices does not necessarily mean criminal charges or misconduct proceedings will follow. At the end of our investigation we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision and decide whether the officer should face disciplinary proceedings.

We have met with family members of some of the men present during the incident to explain our role and gather information. And earlier this week, we met with members of the local community to better understand their concerns and share what information we can about the investigation so far.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact us by emailing [email protected]