A man has died after being restrained by private security staff following an alleged incident of shoplifting in a retail store on Dublin’s Henry Street.

A distressing video circulating on social media appears to show the security group applying heavy force to keep the man on the ground while a crowd watches on. At one stage, one member of security appears to push his knee into the back of the restrained man’s neck, while another appears to use his hands to push the man’s head to the floor. At the same time, others have placed themselves on his body.

An alleged incident of shoplifting should not result in death. The man posed no threat to life and thus such an outcome cannot be justified. It should go without saying that the protection of a person’s life ought to outweigh the protection of a department store’s property.

Questions must be asked of the training received by the security guards to deal with these incidents, as well as their rationale in using such a level of force that the man restrained ultimately died. We await the results of the ongoing investigations being carried out by Gardaí and Fiosrú with concern.

Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this time.