A mother whose 15-year-old black son was forcibly restrained by two rent-a-cop rangers in Superdrug said she finds it “impossible to believe” that “race had nothing to do with it.”
Kirsty Buchanan, who is a former Number 10 assistant, called for an investigation into the use of private security guards after her son was pushed to the ground by two “street guards” last week.
After following him into the shop, Kirsty’s son was held by the two men on the floor of the store in Chichester, West Sussex, while he was ‘shopping for shampoo’.
Images released by Kirsty on Twitter showed the two rangers holding the teen to the ground as they handcuffed him before police arrived.
While police said in a statement this week that they had arrested two teenage boys, ages 15 and 16, Kirsty says her son did not shoplift or assault a store employee, nor was he arrested for it.
The boy’s mother, Kirsty Buchanan, was once a political editor at the Sunday Express and is a former adviser to Theresa May and Liz Truss. She has now called for an investigation into the use of private security guards
She also questioned assurances from Sussex Police that the incident was not related to the boy’s race. The times Today.
Kirsty, who is white, said: “I find it impossible to believe that if I had entered Superdrug to buy some Cantu I would have been followed by these rangers, who are increasingly being hired to guard our high streets – which raises serious questions for all of us.’
“I doubt I would have been slammed to the ground and handcuffed simply for getting the mickey out of their ridiculous power-trip behavior, and I’m pretty sure my insistence that I had been assaulted was corroborated by eyewitnesses at the scene, would have been. carried weight with the police officers present.’
The mother described the ordeal her son went through as “Kafkaesque,” and her son says his arm was grabbed before being flung to the ground.
Kirsty said that while she wouldn’t dare know what it’s like to be black and wanted to avoid the spotlight on her family, she felt she had no choice but to speak out.
“Every mother’s strongest instinct is to protect their child, but over the years I have come to understand that there is simply no way to protect my children from the most corrosive effects of racism.
“I am amazed and appalled by the frequency with which they are subjected to disgusting racist abuse online and face-to-face. And I worry about how cynical they’ve become about my well-meaning but utterly futile efforts to secure their justice.”
The boy was forcibly restrained by two men on the floor of the store in Chichester, West Sussex
Kirsty posted the video to Twitter earlier this week, saying, “This is my 15-year-old black son who was followed buying shampoo by two city officials called rangers. He was saddled and handcuffed by them. Guess who they arrested when the Sussex Police arrived?’
She has since said, “There needs to be a thorough review of the use of these guards on our streets because they are on our streets and completely unregulated.
“What is the due diligence process by which they are hired? What is the training procedure? What is their assignment?’ she said, according to The times.
Following the incident, Sussex Police released a statement saying officers had been called to the store shortly after 3.30pm due to reports of an altercation at Superdrug involving a group of teenagers and an employee of the store.
Police confirmed that yesterday a 15-year-old boy from Worthing was arrested on suspicion of assault, while a 16-year-old boy from Chichester was arrested on suspicion of assault, possession of cannabis and using threatening, insulting or abusive words or behavior to to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Both boys have since been released on bail.
It added in a statement: ‘On arrival, officers found a 15-year-old boy from Worthing had been detained in handcuffs by civilian security personnel on duty.’
Police also said handcuffing of a person by civilians must be justified, adding: ‘There is no law in the UK that prohibits civilians from wearing handcuffs.
A police vehicle outside Superdrug in Chichester after the incident on Wednesday
“Anyone who carries handcuffs should be aware that their use may be an offense unless they can demonstrate that their use was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.
“A full and thorough investigation is underway to establish the exact circumstances of what happened; this includes viewing footage and recording witness statements.
Sussex Police have been in contact with the 15-year-old’s mother and contact will be maintained throughout the investigation.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident, the events leading up to it or has relevant footage is asked to contact police online or via 911, citing Operation Ashridge.”
The two men are rangers for the Chichester Business Improvement District, which works with the city council.
The BID said they act as “the eyes and ears on the street and a reassuring presence for those on the frontline of petty crime.”
The BID describes itself as a business-led initiative that is ‘independent of local authorities and other regulatory bodies and delivers projects that go beyond the basic services they provide’.
Ms Buchanan urged BID to contact her about the park rangers’ “conduct”, saying on Twitter: “Surely you cannot approve of the way they have treated my son?”
She has since questioned the role of private security guards.
Ms. Buchanan claimed to the Daily mirror that the park rangers were aggressive towards her son and his friends, saying, “What I was told is that the ranger pushed him and pushed my son back…they put plastic handcuffs on him – the police then arrived and arrested my son.”
Ms Buchanan was once a political editor at the Sunday Express and was also an advisor to Theresa May from 2017 to 2019 when she was Prime Minister and advisor to Liz Truss when she was Justice Minister in 2016 and 2017.
She said she had not heard from her son for an hour and a half while he was being held at Worthing police station.
Ms Buchanan also said her son had regularly witnessed racist incidents and had been stopped and searched many times.
The men involved were rangers for the city’s Chichester Business Improvement District
She tweeted on Wednesday night: “So @sussex_police have a no detention policy on minors. My son is still in custody and has yet to be questioned.
“I have been told by a senior officer that the CCTV footage of Superdrug has not yet been recovered by the police. Why the hell not?’
She later revealed that her son – who is due to take exams in a few weeks – was released from police custody at 1:15 am before going home.
Superdrug claimed female staff had been assaulted and the store had to be closed due to damage.
In an updated statement to MailOnline, Superdrug said on Friday: ‘The Chichester BID rangers are not employed by Superdrug.
“We cannot comment on the actions of individuals not trained or employed by Superdrug. But we have zero tolerance for violence and aggression and actively encourage politeness and friendliness in our stores.
“We cannot comment further at this stage as this is a police matter and we offer our full assistance to Sussex Police.”
A spokesman for Chichester District Council said on Wednesday: ‘We have been made aware of an incident that occurred in the town of Chichester today and we would like to clarify that no staff from Chichester District Council were involved.’
Chichester BID is an organization founded in 2012 that is funded by local corporate taxpayers to “invest in local improvements,” according to the website.
A spokesman said this week: ‘Chichester BID is aware of an incident which took place on 22 March at the Superdrug store in East Street, involving a group of young people and two rangers.
“Along with Blayde Security, who provide our security services, we are fully cooperating with Sussex Police who are investigating the matter. We take this very seriously.
“We want to reassure merchants, residents and visitors to Chichester city center that we are committed to providing a safe environment for all.”
Sussex Police, Chichester BID and Superdrug have all been contacted for updated statements by MailOnline.
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