Father Demands Answers After Video Appears To Show 15-Year-Old Daughter Restrained And Carried Into Police Van In Southampton

Father Demands Answers After Video Appears To Show 15-Year-Old Daughter Restrained And Carried Into Police Van In Southampton

A father has spoken out after distressing footage emerged appearing to show his 15-year-old daughter being restrained by police before being carried into the back of a police van in Southampton.

The teenager is understood to have refused to return to her foster carers due to alleged concerns within her placement before police became involved.

Footage seen by Hampshire Incidents shows officers restraining the girl on the ground before she is later moved towards a police vehicle. The video does not show the full circumstances leading up to the incident, and allegations about the exact level of force used have not yet been independently verified.

However, the girl’s father says he is deeply concerned by what he has seen and is demanding answers from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary.

He said:

“She is 15 years old. She was upset and refusing to go back to foster carers because of issues within her placement. This should have been treated as a safeguarding and welfare matter.

“Instead, I have had to watch distressing footage of my daughter being restrained and carried into a police van. I want to know why this level of force was used against a child.”

Questions Over Officer’s Actions
One part of the footage appears to show an officer making a rapid arm movement towards the teenager as she is being taken to the ground.

Witnesses have alleged that the officer struck the girl and grabbed her hair during the incident. However, due to the distance, angle and quality of the footage, Hampshire Incidents cannot independently confirm whether the movement was a punch, a grab, or part of the restraint.

The father says his daughter has since sustained injuries to her face, which he believes were caused during the police restraint.

He said:

“I am not just looking at the video — I am looking at the injuries my daughter has been left with. She has injuries to her face, and I want to know exactly how they were caused.

“Was that officer punching her, or was it a restraint technique? If it was restraint, why has a 15-year-old girl ended up with facial injuries?”

The footage raises questions about whether the force used was proportionate, whether officers were aware of the girl’s age and vulnerability, and whether alternative safeguarding options were considered before physical restraint was used.

Welfare Concerns After Girl Appears Unresponsive

Further concerns have been raised about the teenager’s welfare after she was restrained.

Witnesses claim the girl appeared unconscious or unresponsive as she was carried from the ground towards the police van. In the footage, her head appears to fall backwards and move freely while officers carry her.

It is not possible from the video alone to medically confirm whether the girl was unconscious. However, the footage has prompted serious questions about whether she should have been assessed by paramedics before being placed into a police vehicle.

No ambulance is visible in the footage before the teenager is placed into the van.
Her father said:

“If she was unconscious, semi-conscious, or not responding properly, why was she put into a police van?

“Why was an ambulance not called before she was moved? Why was she not checked by paramedics? She is a child, and her welfare should have come first.”

The father says he wants to know whether officers carried out a welfare assessment, whether body-worn video was activated, whether social services were contacted, and whether the incident has been referred to the force’s professional standards department or the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Henry Nowak Case Places Hampshire Police Under Scrutiny

The incident comes just days after public anger and protests in Southampton following the release of footage relating to the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

Henry died after being fatally stabbed in Southampton. The case has placed Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary under national scrutiny after footage showed Henry being handcuffed and arrested by officers shortly before his death.

The Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner said the force had apologised for handcuffing and arresting Henry minutes before he died, and confirmed the force referred itself to the IOPC.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
The IOPC has confirmed its independent investigation into the contact Hampshire & Isle of Wight officers had with Henry immediately prior to his death remains ongoing, including the use of handcuffs and the first aid provided.

Independent Office for Police Conduct
The force’s Chief Constable has also publicly said the force was sorry for handcuffing and arresting Henry, while describing the footage as difficult to watch.

Although the incident involving the 15-year-old girl is separate and unrelated to Henry Nowak’s death, both cases have raised public concern about police decision-making, welfare checks, medical assessment, and the treatment of vulnerable people during police contact.

Are Vulnerable People Being Put At Risk?

The latest footage has led the teenager’s family to ask whether vulnerable people are being properly protected during police incidents in Southampton.

The father said:

“After what happened with Henry Nowak, you would expect officers to be extremely alert to welfare concerns, medical distress and the need for urgent care.

“Now we are seeing another video where a vulnerable young person appears to be restrained, injured, possibly unresponsive, and placed into a police van without an ambulance visible.

“The public have every right to ask whether vulnerable people are being put at risk during police contact.”

The father says he is not only concerned about his daughter’s arrest, but about the wider culture around force, restraint and medical welfare.

He added:

“This was not an adult criminal being hunted down. This was a 15-year-old girl who did not want to return to foster carers because of issues in her placement.

“That should have triggered safeguarding, care and medical checks — not injuries and a police van.”

Calls For Full Investigation

The family are now calling for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary to explain:

whether officers knew the girl was 15;

why force was used;

whether the officer’s arm movement was a strike or a restraint technique;

how the girl sustained facial injuries;

whether officers believed she was unconscious or unresponsive;

whether an ambulance was requested;
whether paramedics assessed her before she was placed in the van;

whether social services were contacted;
whether body-worn video has been preserved;

and whether the incident has been referred for independent review.

The father said:

“I want every second of bodycam footage preserved. I want the officer’s actions reviewed. I want to know how my daughter ended up injured, and I want to know why paramedics were not visibly involved before she was put in that van.

“She is a child. Her welfare should have been the priority.”

Hampshire Incidents is reporting the concerns raised by the teenager’s family and witnesses. The footage does not show the full circumstances before police became involved, and allegations about the exact nature of the force used have not yet been independently verified.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has been approached for comment regarding the use of force, the teenager’s reported injuries, whether medical assistance was requested, and whether the matter has been referred for review.

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Posted: 2026-06-06T17:20:29+0000