Manchester police chaos as officers 'refusing to carry guns' after violent video

Police at Manchester Airport are now refusing to carry weapons while on duty in protest at a perceived lack of support for the officer involved in a fracas in which he appeared to stamp on a man’s head, it has been claimed.

The male officer is currently suspended and faces a criminal investigation after footage showed him kicking 19-year-old Fahir Khan during his arrest along with his brother Amaad.

Separate CCTV footage circulated yesterday showed the circumstances leading up to the incident, in which two men violently attacked the officer plus two female colleagues, with the officers appearing to receive at least 15 blows to the head.

Greater Manchester Police, which has set up a special portal on its website for witnesses to provide evidence, has not yet charged either of the two men involved, both of whom are from Rochdale.

The officers involved were armed and feared their weapons could be taken, GMP has said.

One police insider told The Sun: “There is real anger at the way this has been handled and they didn’t feel they could safely carry their weapons after the officer was suspended.”

The source claimed at the point the officer stamps on Fahir’s head, he was ­“disorientated” after the attack and feared his gun may have been taken.

Tuesday’s incident triggered two nights of angry protests. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the use of force, GMP has revealed.

The force is appealing for witnesses to three incidents.

The first is "an altercation between passengers" from Qatar Airways flight QR023 that arrived at 7.20pm, which they said may have taken place on the flight or T2 baggage hall.

There was then a "violent altercation involving members of the public" in T2 at about 8.22pm, GMP said.

At 8.28pm at the terminal's car park pay point area three police officers were assaulted and left with head injuries including a broken nose, it added.

The family of the man who was reportedly kicked and stamped on issued a "plea for calm", and urged people not to take part in any further protests, their MP said earlier on Saturday.

A GMP spokesman said: "Following last week's incident at Manchester Airport, officers on duty were offered the choice to temporarily step back from their firearms roles for welfare reasons.

"While some chose to do so, their shifts were covered by other officers and our operational capabilities remained the same. We have not had reports of officers refusing to carry weapons following the incident."

Paul Waugh, the newly-elected Labour MP for Rochdale, shared a statement written by the family urging people to give those involved "time to heal" and for "due process to take its course".

Speaking on Sky News yesterday, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: "I know it's a frustration in the world we live in, everybody wants instant conclusions, but life's not like that, is it?

"We have in the last few days people making complete judgments on the one side or the other. You're picking a side in this whole thing and the truth always lies somewhere in between.

"Life's more complicated than sometimes people portray it to be on social media."