Police officer filmed dragging homeless refugee on ground by his sleeping bag

A homeless man was filmed being dragged on the ground and trodden on by a police officer in Manchester.

The refugee, from Sudan, said he had been ‘telling her I need to sleep’ and said he had to go to hospital after the incident with blood in his urine and a fever.

Video footage obtained by the BBC shows how the female officer pulled his green sleeping bag towards her, dragging the man across concrete paving.

Now homeless charity Crisis has called the incident ‘awful’, saying: ‘It’s appalling to see such dehumanising treatment of people rough sleeping.’

Greater Manchester Police said the incident ‘fell below the standard we expect’ and added it should not be repeated.

The homeless man, 31, told the BBC that at the time of the incident last September he had regularly been moved on by council workers.

Of the day in question, he said: ‘We told them we had nowhere to go and that it was very cold.’

The officer was ‘spoken to’ regarding her actions (Picture: BBC)

The man, who has been in the UK around three and a half years and has right to remain, said the officer ‘stamped on my stomach with her foot’.

He said the force had apologised to him and since the incident he has found accommodation.

Responding to the news, Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: ‘If the police behave in this way, how do we expect the public to improve the way they treat rough sleepers?’

Greater Manchester Police said: ‘The officer’s behaviour fell below the standards we expect, especially concerning respect for all members of the community, and the officer’s actions were dealt with.

‘The superintendent responsible for the city centre personally discussed the incident with the officer and made it clear that her actions were unacceptable and must not be repeated.

‘She, along with other employees, received refresher training on how to deal with similar situations in the future.’

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