A mother has claimed “aggressive” city centre rangers confronted her son while he was shopping for shampoo and “slam-dunked” him to the ground before handcuffing him.
A video of the incident which took place at a Superdrug store in Chichester, West Sussex, has been shared on social media.
It shows the two civilian security staff employed by the Chichester Business Improvement District (BID) scheme restraining the 15-year-old while one of them put plastic handcuffs on him while one knelt across his legs.
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 children had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The teenager’s mother told The Mirror newspaper: ”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.
“He was then slam dunked to the floor and 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.”
She said her “lovely, brilliant” son had suffered racist abuse before but added that this was a “new low”.
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.”
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a video circulating on social media of a teenager being detained by civilian security staff in Chichester.
“Police were called to the store in East Street shortly after 3.30pm to reports of a group of teenagers involved in an altercation.
“A shopworker also reported being assaulted.
“Officers attended the scene and three teenagers had been detained by civilian security staff.
“A 15-year-old boy from Worthing and a 16-year-old boy from Chichester were arrested by police on suspicion of assault.
“They remain in police custody pending urgent inquiries, supported by appropriate adults.
“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened.”
The security guards involved are employed by Chichester BID, an organisation set up in 2012 and funded by local, business-rate payers to “invest in local improvements”, according to its website.
Chichester BID has been approached by the PA news agency for clarification on the powers available to its ranger staff to detain members of the public and to use the “plastic handcuffs” which are claimed to have been used in the incident.
Its website states that it will “deliver a team of Rangers, in partnership with Chichester City Council, that are the eyes and ears on the street and a reassuring presence for those in the front line of petty crime.”
A Superdrug spokeswoman said: “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 Chichester District Council spokeswoman said: “We have been made aware of an incident that took place in Chichester city today and we want to clarify that no Chichester District Council staff were involved.”
