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A probe has been launched after a video shared widely on social media appeared to show an officer punching a youth in the stomach and chest in Liverpool.
The force said it had been made aware of a video circulating on social media showing an incident in Speke on Friday evening.
Officers were called to Alder Wood Avenue after they received multiple reports of anti-social behaviour in the area, the force said.
About 20 youths had reportedly been blocking roads with wheelie bins and “aiming fireworks at anyone who tried to remove them”, the BBC reported.
Merseyside Police said youths had reportedly “smashed windows of nearby flats, tried to start fires and threatened members of the public”, the BBC wrote.
The force added that it received a complaint about footage of a police officer on Saturday and is reviewing it.
The video, shared widely on social media, appears to show a police officer lifting a youth lying on the floor before punching him in the stomach and chest with handcuffs, as both males are kneeling on the street.
The officer then appears to handcuff the youngster and pull him up to walk him across the pavement.
In the video, there appear to be at least seven other police officers, including one lifting another young male off the floor and walking him away and another searching a man further away.
Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department is reviewing the complaint, the force said.
The BBC reported that a spokesman for the force said: “We would like to stress that a short clip doesn’t always show the full context.”
A statement on the force’s website on Saturday evening read: “The matter is currently being reviewed by Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department.”
The statement continued: “As a complaint has been received, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
“While we look to establish the full circumstances of what happened, we would urge people not to speculate and avoid sharing rumours or misinformation.”
The incident happened the night before Halloween, on what in Merseyside has become known as “Mischief Night”.
Merseyside Police’s statement added: “We are determined to protect our communities from the sort of appalling behaviour that we historically see at this time of year.
“We have a contempt for criminality and a commitment to cracking down on people committing serious offences in Merseyside.”
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