Police have responded after a video emerged on social media of an arrest in York city centre.
The video was shot on Davygate on Saturday (4 July) and shows three officers struggling to detain a man outside Bettys tearooms.
Widely shared on Facebook, the footage prompted a debate as to the use reasonable force by officers in such a situation, and the challenges they face.
In response a spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: “Officers dealt with an incident in York city centre when a man was being abusive to members of the public.
“Officers initially attempted to disperse him from the area under a dispersal order, which had been put in place to assist with any reports of disorder on 4 July.
“The incident escalated and he was subsequently arrested.”
She said the police were aware of the video.
“It may be alarming to members of the public who have witnessed the use of force during the incident or seen the social media video.
“However we must reassure the public that the incident will be reviewed using the officer’s body worn video footage to ensure the use of force was proportionate and in line with training.
“What the short clip does not show is the full incident that the officers were dealing with. Importantly officers were wearing body-worn video which captures the preceding five minutes leading up to the man’s arrest.”
A man has been charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing a police officer. He is due to appear in court tomorrow (Monday, 6 July).
Because of the charges, the police cannot go into more details about the full incident leading to the arrest.