Professional Standards investigating incident where Guernsey Police forcefully restrain man in cell
Watch the viral CCTV video. ITV News has confirmed its authenticity but the footage has been edited before being shared on social media
Guernsey Police has confirmed that Professional Standards are investigating after a leaked CCTV video shows a man being forcefully restrained by five officers whilst in custody.
The force has stressed that the public should not reach conclusions without being aware of the full facts after an edited clip went viral online.
The footage from February has been viewed more than 780,000 times on X, formerly Twitter.
It shows a man being restrained, stripped and left in a prone position by officers in his cell.
He had been arrested for several violent offences including Grievous Bodily Harm and resisting arrest.
Police say he continued to be violent when he was brought into custody, meaning the usual booking procedure could not be completed and he was taken straight to a cell.
A spokesperson for Guernsey Police said: "The footage released is an edited, standalone clip, which when viewed without surrounding context does, we acknowledge, show officers using force in a way which could cause distress to those who have seen it.
"When detainees are ordinarily brought into custody they are asked to change into custody-provided clothing if there are concerns around the state of the detainee, their safety or the safety of others.
"Officers would ask detainees to do this voluntarily, but if this does not happen officers must ensure it happens, as per our procedures.
"Guernsey Police would strongly urge members of the community against judging the actions of officers through edited versions of CCTV and reach conclusions via the 'court of public opinion' and social media, without being aware of the full facts.
"The matter has been brought to the attention of our Professional Standards Department and we want to assure the community we will take all appropriate steps if there is any inference of misconduct."
Police add that the man being restrained in the footage has pleaded guilty to the offences for which he was charged and is currently in prison.
ITV News has seen a ten-page complaint letter from him, alleging a list of failings in how the case was handled.
The Professional Standards Department is now assessing these claims.
A data protection investigation is also underway into how the internal police CCTV footage was shared on social media.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...