A NORTH Yorkshire police officer who was kicked in the head while arresting a 17 year-old in Scarborough went on to save a man’s life a few hours later.

The officer was shown in a viral-video restraining a teenager, who repeatedly kicked him and a colleague in the head.

During the same shift, the officer and three others then gave CPR to a man who had collapsed. Doctors said that without their fast actions, the man may have died.

However, the viral clip that was shared on social media reportedly resulted in the officer being “publicly lambasted.”

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Police say the clip did “not show the context of the arrest and the whole incident” and painted the perpetrator as the victim and the victim as the perpetrator.

Scarborough’s senior commander, Superintendent Rachel Wood, said: “This sequence of events highlights what an incredibly challenging job policing is, but also what an incredible difference officers can, and do, make.

“Unfortunately during the same shift as he saved a man’s life, this officer was also assaulted while arresting a violent offender. Following this, him and a colleague were then publicly lambasted based on a few seconds of video showing part of that arrest.

“This footage went viral after it was posted on social media, used by media websites and covered by newspapers. Sadly, it seemed to present the victims as the perpetrators, and the perpetrator as the victim.

“It did not show the context of the arrest or the whole incident, including two of my officers being kicked in the head by the person they had to detain.”

The teenager admitted two counts of assaulting an emergency service worker and received a conditional caution and was ordered to attend substance abuse sessions when the case was heard by a Youth Outcome Panel.

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Superintendent Rachel Woods added: “A review has since determined that the way officers detained the youth was legitimate. The youth admitted attacking them and has been cautioned.

“However, both officers involved and their families have been deeply affected by this assault and the subsequent ‘trial by media and social media’.

“It speaks volumes about these officers and British policing in general when officers face public criticism, hostility and even physical abuse, then come back to work the next day to continue to dutifully serve their communities.

“I’m proud of their resilience and hope that highlighting this incident gives the public a better understanding of the challenges police officers are faced with when keeping everyone safe.”

Due to the footage being widely circulated, North Yorkshire police launched an internal review of the incident.

The IOPC determined it did not need to carry out an investigation into the incident and following a detailed assessment of the footage, no further action was taken against an officer involved.

North Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Department found that the social media clip showed only a snapshot of the incident and from just on angle.

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Additional footage showed the youth kicking both officers in the head, which he later admitted and apologised for.

The news comes after the Home Secretary recently made recommendations to protect police officers from being subjected to “trial by social media.”

She said the move was intended to “highly selective and misleading video clips uploaded onto social media” and show transparency.

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