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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think an autistic child should not be treated like this by the police?

449 replies

Immoralplant · 10/08/2023 08:10

I don’t know the background to this video, but at no point is there any suggestion by the police that this autistic teenager has done anything other than say words the police didn’t like.

I am absolutely shocked that this is happening in Britain.

IABU - that’s an appropriate police response to homophobic words
IANBU - those police officers should be sacked

Warning: the video shows scenes of an autistic teenager being hurt.

twitter.com/SineadKelly113/status/1689176155562143744?s=20

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
WILTYjim · 10/08/2023 08:15

Do they genuinely not have anything better to do? Is that 6 police officers?

They should be ashamed of themselves. Rotten top to bottom.

HermioneWeasley · 10/08/2023 08:17

I cannot fathom how it was ever approved for 6 police officers to go and manhandle a disabled child who hasn’t committed any crime? How does that even happen?

there needs to be a full investigation

jeaux90 · 10/08/2023 08:21

If they were reacting to her thinking or saying that she thought the police officer was a lesbian I would say the police were the homophobic ones here.

I'm also very disturbed by the male offices cornering a young girl like that.

I have an autistic DD14 it would have been terrifying.

It was disgraceful

Soubriquet · 10/08/2023 08:22

I’ve already posted this in FWR but ill repeat it.

I hope there is more than meets the eye to this video because it’s disturbing and disgusting

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 10/08/2023 08:25

That's awful to watch. That female officer needs some anger management if that's how she reacts to a throwaway comment from a teenager

Wallabyone · 10/08/2023 08:26

I can't believe what I've just seen-except it keeps happening, doesn't it? The police behaving in a completely disproportionate, inappropriate way?

Dolores87 · 10/08/2023 08:27

This is horrendous. I don't know what I have just watched. In what way did 6 grown adults decide this was the best approach to take in this situation. Some weird ass power trip these people are on.

Was this recent? Does anyone know the police force in question?

AndTheSurveySays · 10/08/2023 08:29

That's awful.

BitOutOfPractice · 10/08/2023 08:33

No child - in fact no person - should be treated like that.

The prevalence of cameras in people’s hands nowadays is not really doing the police any favours is it?

I wonder if they turn up mob handed like that when there’s a report of domestic violence? 🤔

ApocalypseNowt · 10/08/2023 08:34

It's Leeds, W Yorkshire police apparently.

Quelle surprise Hmm

WiredND · 10/08/2023 08:34

I don't understand why there were so many officers present for a non-crime? Manhandling a child with multiple disabilities - WTAF 😡

The female officer looks so angry and as per a previous post, needs anger management.

Very disturbing.

miniaturepixieonacid · 10/08/2023 08:35

I don't know, tbh, I think there must be more to it. That number of police officers don't arrive at someone's house for something as simple as saying 'lesbian'. There's only the shouty mum's word for it that she didn't do anything wrong. The female officer is nasty when she says 'I don't care' but the mother is very belligerent. The other officers are calm when in the house and one seems to sit and gently coax the girl out. The scene outside looks concerning but why cut the sound? May be trying to make the police look worse. They do need to get the girl in the van and they didn't use huge amounts of force. I'm not sure what else they could have done other than not arrest her at all. And we don't know whether that would have been best because we don't know what the girl did or did not do.

BoredPandas · 10/08/2023 08:40

There must be more to this. I’m absolutely sick and tired of little snippets of videos that don’t show the true situation.

Dolores87 · 10/08/2023 08:41

To be honest i dont think it matters of there is more to it. Regardless of what the kid has done this is an inappropriate way to deal with and handle a child especially an autistic one.

Dolores87 · 10/08/2023 08:44

miniaturepixieonacid · 10/08/2023 08:35

I don't know, tbh, I think there must be more to it. That number of police officers don't arrive at someone's house for something as simple as saying 'lesbian'. There's only the shouty mum's word for it that she didn't do anything wrong. The female officer is nasty when she says 'I don't care' but the mother is very belligerent. The other officers are calm when in the house and one seems to sit and gently coax the girl out. The scene outside looks concerning but why cut the sound? May be trying to make the police look worse. They do need to get the girl in the van and they didn't use huge amounts of force. I'm not sure what else they could have done other than not arrest her at all. And we don't know whether that would have been best because we don't know what the girl did or did not do.

Why do you need to forcibly arrest a child in any circumstance? The could have had her parents calm her down and bring into the police station if needed. Its unnecessary to be manhandling her into a van.

WILTYjim · 10/08/2023 08:48

miniaturepixieonacid · 10/08/2023 08:35

I don't know, tbh, I think there must be more to it. That number of police officers don't arrive at someone's house for something as simple as saying 'lesbian'. There's only the shouty mum's word for it that she didn't do anything wrong. The female officer is nasty when she says 'I don't care' but the mother is very belligerent. The other officers are calm when in the house and one seems to sit and gently coax the girl out. The scene outside looks concerning but why cut the sound? May be trying to make the police look worse. They do need to get the girl in the van and they didn't use huge amounts of force. I'm not sure what else they could have done other than not arrest her at all. And we don't know whether that would have been best because we don't know what the girl did or did not do.

Why arrest her? What was the necessity? There are other ways and 6 of them manhandling a disabled child isn’t it.

Police apologists just make their power trips worse.

loislovesstewie · 10/08/2023 08:49

I have an adult child with autism;every time he leaves the house I am so worried that he will say something and end up like this. He wouldn't mean to hurt/offend anyone but he speaks very factually . He does have a badge but I wonder how much difference that would make? Just another thing to worry about. I'm interested to see if there has been any response from the police on what happened?

neverbeenskiing · 10/08/2023 08:49

"There must be more to this" seems to be the new "just a few bad apples".

I cannot think of anything "more" that would justify this level of reaction from the Police, but then people often seem willing to bend over backwards to excuse and justify oppressive systems that disproportionately impact on minorities and the vulnerable.

ZeroFuchsGiven · 10/08/2023 08:49

I would love to know the true version of the events and not just the edited version the Mum decided to post online.

imnotthatkindofmum · 10/08/2023 08:50

As a teacher in a secondary school if a child made what I thought was an inappropriate comment I would absolutely not need to manhandle them. Homophobia in my school is an instant day in isolation. We do not need 6 people to wrestle them there.

Obviously it seems that this child wasn't even being homophobic but even if she was one police officer having a stern word and an outline of the possible consequences would suffice, Only if there was further issues should action be taken imo. And even then it doesn't require 6 people! Even a fully grown neurotypical adult would be scared.

The female police officer here should not have been involved at all if she was the one the supposed homophobia was directed at.

When personal comments have been made about me in a school setting I have always immediately passed it in for someone else to handle. Personal feelings have no place in discipline/policing just the facts and the rules.

Soubriquet · 10/08/2023 08:52

neverbeenskiing · 10/08/2023 08:49

"There must be more to this" seems to be the new "just a few bad apples".

I cannot think of anything "more" that would justify this level of reaction from the Police, but then people often seem willing to bend over backwards to excuse and justify oppressive systems that disproportionately impact on minorities and the vulnerable.

I’m saying im hoping there’s more because I’m disgusted that people in a position of power who we are supposed to trust, acted like this.

WandaWomblesaurus · 10/08/2023 08:52

Very distressing video - even if there's more to it why so many officers?

megletthesecond · 10/08/2023 08:55

I do hope there's more of a backstory. If not the police need reading the riot act.

stbrandonsboat · 10/08/2023 08:57

So the police are now their own private attack force? Not surprising when you see the calibre of their recruits - criminals, misogynists, domestic abusers etc. Thank God they're not armed or they'd be shooting black and disabled people.

WishIwasElsa · 10/08/2023 08:59

Obviously there might be more context before the video was started. However there is absolutely no excuse for this behaviour towards a vulnerable child. The amount of misconduct we are hearing about police recently is a disgrace. I've seen videos of police pinning a teenager down and punching them, again unacceptable eve if they are doing wrong. Then there is all the met police stuff, the lady who has accused GMP of SA and a policeman in Norfolk who crashed into a member of the public, didn't stop and didn't report the crash and neither did the officer with him.

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