National Chair John Apter said: “It was good to read today’s statement from Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner, Sir Steve House, providing context to the recent vehicle stop in Hackney. His support of officers who are out there doing a difficult job is very welcome.

“Sadly this incident continues to be scrutinised on social media, with the officers being condemned for simply doing their job. These constant and sustained attacks are harmful to all involved. This is unjust and must not be tolerated.

“Echoing the words of the Deputy Commissioner, there are processes in place to deal with complaints - without question, everyone has a right to take action if they feel they have been treated unfairly by the police, but it is clear in this case the officers have acted with the utmost professionalism. If people have a legitimate complaint about how they are dealt with then there are numerous ways people can raise their concerns - putting them all over social media without context is not the most constructive way.

“Our officers and the public deserve to be treated fairly but to continue to choose to conduct a trial by social media is damaging, unfair and can lead to social tension which in the current climate is highly irresponsible.”

The Federation will continue encouraging forces to consider publicising more body-worn video footage on social media to show the reality of policing and give the full story behind interactions between police and the public as the popularity of sharing selective video clips grows.