Coronavirus: Chief constable embarrassed by lockdown arrest

Ian Hopkins said he was saddened and embarrassed by footage of the man's arrest

A chief constable has said he is embarrassed after a man was arrested after being wrongly accused of breaching the coronavirus lockdown.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Ian Hopkins made the remark following the man's arrest while he was delivering food to relatives on Friday.

Mr Hopkins said a senior officer was sent to apologise to the man and his family.

The arrest is being investigated by GMP's professional standards branch.

Footage shared online showed the officer in the Fallowfield district of the city demanding the man puts his hands on his head before he handcuffs him.

Asked by the BBC if the man was arrested for delivering food to relatives, Mr Hopkins said it was "very embarrassing".

Bodycam footage

He added: "We didn't like what we saw when we looked at the officer's bodycam footage."

He said allegations of racism would also form part of the professional standards investigation.

A statement from the force said it was aware of the footage of the arrest.

It said: "Although the matter is being investigated by our professional standards branch, our initial review shows that the incident wasn't dealt with in the professional way we would expect."

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