Blackpool police standards probe over footage of man’s arrest

A police force has said it is looking into an incident in which a man was grabbed by the throat and forced to the ground by an officer on a night out in Blackpool.

Colin Allan, 25, was in town for a wedding when the incident happened at about 02:00 BST on Saturday.

The incident happened as police were handcuffing another man believed to have been part of the group.

While Lancashire Police has referred footage of the incident to its own internal watchdog, it said it had not referred it to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Mr Allan, from Glasgow, has since been charged with being drunk and disorderly.

He told the BBC he intended to plead not guilty when the case went to court and that he had “lost all trust” in the police.

Mr Allan was one of the group who had been out in pubs and bars along Blackpool promenade.

The incident between the officers and Mr Allan – who was also charged with possession of cannabis – happened while he was filming the arrest of his friend on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

He told the BBC: “[The officer] told me to get away and I said I wasn’t going anywhere because I was videoing the incident and making sure my girlfriend’s brother was safe.”

Mr Allan’s sister, Anneliese Allan, who shared the video of the incident on social media, added: “The man is bigger and heavier than my brother, there was no need for the force that he used at all.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “We are aware of this footage, and it has been referred to our professional standards department, who are reviewing it.”