Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:26 BST, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 15:41 BST, 24 June 2026
A police force has insisted its officers were 'justified' after footage emerged online of them lashing out at a group of young girls with a baton and Tasers in Rotherham.South Yorkshire Police has maintained its use of force during the incident involving the teenage girls was 'proportionate, necessary and justified'. It comes as the force launched a review after the video of the incident at the weekend was widely shared across social media. The force previously said the clip, where viewers accused the police of using undue force against the teens, was 'nothing short of shocking'. In the video, an officer can be seen arguing with a group of girls in party dresses before the officer tells them: 'You are being dispersed for a breach of the peace.'A girl can be seen pushing the officer, who then shoves her backwards with force, causing her to stumble. The officer pushes another two of the girls, who respond by walking towards him and shouting angrily in his face. A bystander could be heard accusing the officer of 'squaring up' to the group of teenage girls. Footage emerged online over the weekend of police officers appearing to lash out at a group of young girls in Rotherham South Yorkshire Police maintained their use of force during the incident involving the teenage girls was 'proportionate, necessary and justified'.The incident quickly erupts, with more young women surrounding the officer, who pulls out his baton and begins deploying it against the group. In the midst of the disruption, one girl falls onto the police car bonnet and then the floor as the officer appears to deploy the baton. A bystander, filming the incident, could be heard saying: 'He has got the baton. What are they doing?'The officer then stood with his baton raised and forcefully shoved another girl away. At least six officers could be seen in the clip. Another officer was pushed by one of the group and appeared to respond aggressively. He appeared to punch one of the teenagers as well as shove her backwards, causing her to fall on the ground. Two officers dressed in black then arrived and pointed Tasers towards the group, ordering people to 'get back'. The force said it had now reviewed all available footage, including body-worn video, and written accounts from all officers. A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: 'As is often the case, the clip which has been posted on social media shows only a few seconds of a much longer police response to a 999 call – reporting a fight involving many young people.'Having viewed the clip in isolation, it is understandable that local and wider communities have some concerns.''The public's trust and confidence in policing is dependent on openness and accountability.'As such, while this incident did not meet the national criteria for independent assessment, we took the unprecedented step of requesting peer review from another police force. The review upheld the determination.'It also concluded there was 'an opportunity for learning around de-escalation' but that 'considering what happened before and during the clip, the use of force was proportionate, necessary and justified to keep all involved safe'.
