South Yorkshire Police has launched an internal investigation after footage emerged showing officers pointing a taser and swinging batons at a group of teenage girls during a street confrontation in Rotherham, with the force itself describing the scenes as “appearing nothing short of shocking.”
The video, which was posted to Facebook by a mother who said her daughter was among the girls involved, shows a dramatic altercation on what appears to be a residential street on Saturday evening. Officers in high-visibility jackets can be seen ordering the group to disperse and accusing them of breaching the peace. The situation escalates rapidly, with girls pushing officers and being pushed back, before batons are drawn and one girl is thrown to the ground. One officer appears to punch a girl during the struggle, and a second officer is seen brandishing a taser as the scene descends into a full brawl. Bottles are thrown into the chaos and boys can be heard shouting behind the camera, with the incident unfolding beside a police car with its emergency lights flashing.
The mother who shared the footage said the teenagers had been on a “celebration leaving party” and said she was astonished by how officers handled the confrontation. “I can’t believe how the police handled the situation last night,” she wrote. “Surely trained professionals are expected to adapt their approach depending on a person’s age, vulnerability, gender, disability, or whether they’re sober or intoxicated.” She alleged the police response had caused “fear and distress” to the girls, which she said “escalated the situation,” and called for a public explanation, adding: “Children should be safeguarded, not traumatised.”
South Yorkshire Police said its Professional Standards Department had been tasked with reviewing all available footage, including body-worn video, to establish what happened before, during and after the scenes shown in the clip circulating on social media. In a statement, the force said: “The short clip on social media of the police response to an incident in Rotherham over the weekend appears nothing short of shocking. Our PSD are reviewing this and all available footage, including Body Worn Video, of the full response to the 999 call to understand what happened before, during, and after what is publicly available. Their assessment will inform our next steps. At South Yorkshire Police, we want our officers to be professional and their actions to be lawful, proportionate, and fair.”
