A video has emerged on social media of a police officer apparently seen punching a worker outside a cafe where dozens of people were said to be dining.
The incident was confirmed to have taken place at the Kate & Luc Cafe Restaurant in Burnage yesterday.
The cafe was allegedly operating in breach of the rules of England’s third national lockdown, which permits hospitality businesses to provide collection / takeaway and delivery services, but does not allow patrons to sit inside the premises.
As well as the initial video footage which appears to show the assault taking place – posted by Twitter user @88gaz88, and amassing over 4K interactions and comments – a second video from the scene shows the staff member being led outside by Greater Manchester Police officers, with customers jeering and clapping.
Many of those same customers then followed the scene outside.
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Throughout both of the clips posted to Twitter, people can be heard shouting at the officers “He’s trying to earn a living”, “You will pay for this”, and “You will get what you deserve, have you got children?”.
The owners of the cafe have posted regularly on their Facebook page about remaining open, despite the current lockdown rules, and a further video released from the scene – which looks to have been filmed inside the cafe – shows children among the crowd of people sitting at tables, the majority of whom appear to not be social distancing or wearing masks.
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An eyewitness present at the scene provided an insight into the context of the incident, stating that: “[The cafe] has been open for takeaways, but recently we’ve seen people sitting inside [and] today there were about 50 or 60 people inside and outside.
“No-one was wearing a mask [and] it was like they were protesting [against the lockdown].
Greater Manchester Police confirmed it is “aware of the footage” from the incident circulating online and are “continuing to assess the circumstances of the incident”.
A police spokesperson said: “Police were responding to reports of non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions by a café on Burnage Lane in Manchester,”
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“Officers attended and in line with procedure, attempted to engage with individuals and disperse attendees.
“This resulted in an officer being assaulted.
“GMP are aware of the footage circulating online and are continuing to assess all the circumstances of the incident, including this footage as well as other footage obtained, at what remains an early stage in the investigation.”
GMP is aware of a video circulating online involving a man who appears to be struck by a police officer.
This incident happened whilst a 38-year-old man was being arrested on suspicion of assault of an emergency worker and resisting arrest. pic.twitter.com/nI9MZa5UET
The force also confirmed that one of their officers sustained injuries during the altercation – which took place shortly after 12pm yesterday – but did not require hospital treatment.
Officers issued a total of 14 fixed penalty notices.
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Featured Image – GMP
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New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
The Manc -
8th February 2021 
