Police response to teens fight justified - review

A review of video footage showing a confrontation between police officers and teenage girls has concluded the use of force was "proportionate, necessary and justified to keep all involved safe", a force said.

A clip widely circulated on social media showed officers being confronted by a group of girls in prom dresses on a street in Rawmarsh.

The confrontation - which happened over the weekend - is seen to escalate quickly and some of the girls are seen on the floor as two officers point stun guns at the group.

South Yorkshire Police said its professional standards department (PSD) found there was an "opportunity for learning around de-escalation" but the response was proportionate.

The force said the clip posted online showed "only a few seconds of a much longer police response" to a 999 call reporting a fight among many young people.

It said the PSD had reviewed all available footage, including body-worn video, and had received written accounts from all officers.

The force said: "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."

Earlier, South Yorkshire Police said it had asked the PSD to investigate the video, which was "nothing short of shocking".

It said one person was arrested and two officers were injured.

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