Statement following incident in South Bank

Two plain clothed officers were carrying out enquiries into a report of an attempted burglary at around 1pm on Wednesday 5 July 2023 on Uvedale Road, South Bank.

Whilst at the address, the officers were required to detain a man who tried to make off from police. 

Subsequently, the officers were confronted by a large number of people on Bevanlee Road who became increasingly aggressive and were encouraging the suspect to be violent towards the officers.

Both officers were assaulted during the incident and used techniques to distract the male to protect their safety. They were both taken to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.

A police radio was taken by a member of the public during the incident and this was recovered a short time later covered in dog faeces.

The videos posted on social media have been edited and therefore the full incident and how challenging and intimidating it must have been for our officers is not captured.

A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and two counts of assault on an emergency worker. He has been charged with both assaults and has been remanded in custody. No further action is being taken in regards to the burglary.

Two men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and they have all be issued with a penalty notice.