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Police Review Complaint Over Force Used in Edinburgh Welfare Check

The force’s Professional Standards unit is assessing the family’s case following local circulation of video from the 8 January visit.

Overview

  • Gabriels Ochnolichs, 21, says he was grabbed by the neck, thrown to the ground and restrained during a welfare check outside his Muirhouse flat on 8 January.
  • Video recorded by his mother appears to show an officer seizing his neck, handcuffing him and placing leg restraints as several officers surround him.
  • He has filed a formal complaint, and Police Scotland confirms its Professional Standards Department has received it and is conducting an assessment.
  • Police had attended after a social worker raised concern when his phone was unreachable, and Ochnolichs says officers did not initially explain the purpose of their approach.
  • The family reports bruising and distress and say police later asked that the footage not be shared, while no independent findings or disciplinary outcomes have been announced.