A former No 10 adviser has called for a review of private security guards after her 15-year-old son was pinned down and handcuffed in a Superdrug store.
Kirsty Buchanan made the appeal after a video of her son being restrained in Chichester went viral on social media.
The boy, who was later arrested by police on suspicion of assault, was “sat on” by the guards, she said.
Chichester BID, which employs guards through Blayde Security, said it provides “a safe environment for all”.
Sussex Police said it was called to the shop in East Street after 15:30 GMT on Wednesday following reports that a group of teenagers had become involved in an altercation.
Ms Buchanan told the BBC her son and a friend had been followed into the store by two guards, who are known as Chichester BID (Business Improvement District) rangers.
She said: “My son went in to buy shampoo and began joking around about being followed by the rangers when they snapped.
“They grabbed his arm, threw him on the floor, sat on him and tied his hands with plastic handcuffs.”
Her son was released at 01:15 on Thursday, and was back resting at home feeling “tired and calm”, Ms Buchanan said.
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 that store to buy shampoo, do you think this would have happened to me?”
A Sussex Police spokesman said that officers arrived to find 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.
He said: “There is no law in the UK that prevents civilians 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.”
A second teenager, a 16-year-old from Chichester, was arrested on suspicion of assault, possession of cannabis, and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress, police said.
The spokesman said: “A full and thorough investigation is ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of what happened.”
Police have been in contact with the 15-year-old’s mother and contact will be maintained, he added.
Superdrug tweeted that an “incident” occurred in its Chichester store between rangers and a group of young males they were monitoring.
The company added in a statement: “We would like to reassure customers and members of the public that our priority is always to keep our colleagues and customers safe, and we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence and aggression.”
Ms Buchanan – who was not with her son at the time of the incident – is calling for a review of private security guards.
“I would like to know from Chichester BID what due diligence is carried out before rangers are hired, what training they receive and what their remit is,” she said.
Ms Buchanan, who advised former prime minister Liz Truss, also said the actions of Sussex Police should be investigated,.
She said she was not told for 90 minutes where her son was after he had been taken away by officers.
‘Treated fairly’
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News she was “troubled” by the video.
She said: “Particularly for parents not to know what is happening when a child is being arrested in that way, I do think questions need to be answered.
“You have to make sure that people are treated fairly, and children in particular are treated fairly and properly by the police and also by community rangers as well.”
Chichester BID is an organisation set up in 2012 and funded by local business-rate payers to “invest in local improvements”, according to its website.
A statement from the body said: “Chichester BID is aware of an incident that occurred on 22 March at the Superdrug store on East Street, involving a group of young people and two rangers.
“Together with Blayde Security, who provide our security services, we are cooperating fully with Sussex Police, who are investigating the matter.
“We are taking this very seriously. We want to reassure traders, residents and visitors to Chichester city centre that we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all.”
Blayde Security said in a statement it was offering full assistance to the police investigation.
It added: “Our priority is always to keep members of the public, our staff and our partners safe and we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence and aggression.”
Source – BBC News
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