Civilian security staff have been condemned after a former No 10 adviser claimed city centre rangers restrained and handcuffed her son on the floor of a Superdrug store in West Sussex.
A video of the incident involving the 15-year-old son of Kirsty Buchanan, which took place at a Superdrug store in Chichester, West Sussex, has been shared on widely social media.
It appears to show two civilian security staff employed by the Chichester Business Improvement District (BID) scheme restraining the teenager while one of them put plastic handcuffs on him and one knelt across his legs.
The organisation - which was set up in 2012 and is funded by local, business-rate payers to “invest in local improvements”, according to its website - confirmed it is aware of the incident and is “taking this very seriously”.
“Together with Blayde Security, who provide our security services, we are cooperating fully with Sussex Police, who are investigating the matter,” a spokesperson said.
Sussex Police said its officers were called to the shop in East Street in Chichester, West Sussex, shortly after 3.30pm on Wednesday to reports that a group of teenagers had become involved in an altercation. A shop worker also reported being assaulted.
The force said that two teenagers had been arrested in connection with the incident but have now been released on bail.
Speaking about the incident to The Mirror, the boy’s mother Kirsty Buchanan said: “They (the rangers) started to get aggressive towards them and one of them got into my son’s personal space and he asked, ‘can you get out of my face’.
“What I have been told is the ranger pushed him and my son pushed back.
“[They] sat on top of him as you see in the video and they put plastic handcuffs on him – the police then arrived and arrested my son.”
Speaking on Times Radio, Ms Buchanan said her son was followed by the rangers into the shop and added: “When (her son) got to the shampoo counter he was joking around about being followed by these two guys whereupon they sat on top of him.
“They got plastic handcuffs, handcuffed him and yanked his arms up behind his back whereupon my son used some understandably unparliamentary language but also screamed ‘It hurts, it hurts, get off me’.
“A friend of his came to his aid and was also subsequently arrested for assault which was committed in prime to try to get these two men off my child.”
She said that a member of the staff reported being hurt in the incident but she claimed that this happened after her son had been detained by the rangers.
She added: “As far as I understand, he was arrested for assault.
Ms Buchanan said her son was now at home having been released by the police in the early hours of Thursday and added: “He is relatively calm because he is quite content when the footage is reviewed, the charges will be dropped.”
Questioning the use of private security guards and the police response, she added: “There needs to be an investigation into the police handling of this, for an hour-and-a-half I didn’t even know where my son was or had been taken.
“I also think there needs to be a thorough review of the use of these security guards on our streets because they are on our streets all across the country, they are completely unregulated. What is the process of due diligence by which they are hired? What is the training procedure? What is their remit?”
When asked if she thought her son had been targeted because he was black, she replied: “Let’s put it this way, if I went in to buy shampoo, do you think this would have happened to me?”
Chichester BID has been approached for further comment on Ms Buchanan’s allegations.
Responding to the video on Twitter, Joe Murphy, retired former political editor of the London Evening Standard, the Sunday Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday, posted: “And how the heck does a private business-funded security force have the power to handcuff young kids?
“Are they trained? Are they safe? This looks awful.”
Following questions about the powers available to Chichester BID’s ranger staff to detain members of the public and to use handcuffs, Sussex Police issued a statement that explained there is no law in the UK that prevents civilians from carrying handcuffs.
“Anyone who does carry handcuffs should be aware that their use could constitute a crime, unless they can show that using them was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances,” the force added.
On the incident itself, police said: “Police were called to Superdrug in East Street around 3.30pm following reports of an altercation.
“On arrival, officers discovered a 15-year-old boy from Worthing had been detained in handcuffs by privately employed civilian security staff. He was arrested on suspicion of assault.
“We can now clarify that a second teenager – a 16-year-old boy from Chichester – was detained by police in the area and arrested on suspicion of assault, possession of cannabis, and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
“Both suspects have been released on bail with strict conditions until 24 June, pending further enquiries.
“A full and thorough investigation is ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of what happened; this includes reviewing footage and taking witness statements.
“Sussex Police has been in contact with the 15-year-old’s mother and contact will be maintained as the investigation continues.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident, the events leading up to it or has any relevant footage is asked to contact police online or via 101, quoting Operation Ashridge.”
A Superdrug spokeswoman said on Wednesday: “An incident occurred today in our Chichester store between Chichester BID Rangers and a group of young males they were monitoring.
“Unfortunately, female staff were also assaulted. This is now a police matter, and we are offering our full assistance to Sussex Police.
“Our priority is always to keep our colleagues and customers safe, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence and aggression. The store remains closed due to damage caused.”
A spokesperson for Chichester District Council said: “We collect money on behalf of a number of organisations and authorities, including West Sussex County Council, The Police and Crime Commissioner, local parish councils and Chichester BID. Each one is responsible for determining how their money is spent.
“We had no involvement in the incident that took place on 22 March, and so we do not know the full details of the incident. We do not employ or fund the Rangers, and we are not involved in the contract that the BID has with the company that provides the service.
“The incident is being investigated by Sussex Police and we wait to see the outcome of their investigation.”
