Merseyside Police reviewing video of teenager being struck in Speke

Merseyside Police has launched a review after a complaint about an officer who struck a teenager three times with handcuffs in the Liverpool district of Speke. The incident occurred on 'Mischief Night' on the eve of Halloween, when around 20 teenagers blocked roads and threw fireworks.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 2 November 2026 at 00:332 min read

The key facts

Video of the officer's strikes gained more than 40,000 views on social media
The complaint was filed on Saturday and the case was passed to the professional standards department
Police say teenagers threw fireworks, smashed windows and threatened people

What was caught on video

Footage circulating on social media shows a Merseyside Police officer striking a teenager three times — in the stomach, chest and throat — while holding metal handcuffs in the striking hand. Afterwards, the youth was restrained, lifted off the ground and led to a police van; another teenager is also seen being pulled off the ground during the arrest. The recording begins moments before the strikes and does not show what preceded the incident. According to BBC News, the video has been viewed more than 40,000 times.

Context according to the police

Merseyside Police said that on Friday officers responded to reports of around 20 teenagers in the Alder Wood Avenue area of Speke who were blocking roads with wheelie bins and 'aiming fireworks at anyone who tried to remove them'. According to the police, the teenagers also 'smashed windows of nearby flats, attempted to start fires and threatened passers-by'. The incident took place on the eve of Halloween — on the so-called 'Mischief Night', which in Liverpool traditionally sees disturbances of this kind.

Review and the parties' positions

After a complaint was filed on Saturday, the police said its professional standards department would look into the incident. A police spokesperson emphasised: 'We want to stress that a short clip does not always show the full context,' and urged people not to speculate or spread rumours. At the same time, the press office declared its determination 'to protect communities from the appalling behaviour we have historically seen at this time of year' and its 'contempt for criminality'. The circumstances of what happened have not yet been fully established — the review is ongoing.