West Yorkshire Police sorry for officer's language in viral arrest

West Yorkshire Police's professional standards department will review the case

A police force has apologised to a 16-year-old girl and her family after an officer used "inappropriate" language during her arrest.

A video of the incident in Leeds in August 2023 went viral on social media.

The West Yorkshire force apologised after an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

An IOPC spokesperson said it would be "appropriate" for the officer to undertake "reflective practice", but more serious punishment was not needed.

The girl was arrested in the early hours of Monday 7 August after making a "potentially homophobic comment" which an officer believed was directed towards her, the spokesperson added.

She did not face criminal charges.

'Inappropriate'

The IOPC launched an investigation after a complaint was made against the force following the incident at a residential address.

It found the officers involved in the girl's arrest "on the whole did attempt to de-escalate the situation and the level of force used appeared to have been appropriate in the circumstances".

But a spokesperson said some of the language used by one of the officers towards the girl was "inappropriate and was not conducive to de-escalating the situation."

They said the unnamed officer did not have a case to answer for misconduct or gross misconduct.

Instead, the reflective practice, which would be undertaken with their supervisor, would allow them to "reflect and learn from the incident to prevent any issues identified from re-occurring, as their actions fell short of the expectations of the public and the police service".

West Yorkshire Police agreed with the IOPC's findings and had also written to the girl and her family "to remedy any dissatisfaction", the spokesperson said.