Footage has emerged of a police officer attempting to punch a man in the head as he is escorted away from the Ōtara fan zone prior to the Rugby League World Cup final.

The footage, posted to social media, begins with a man on the ground as officers lift him up. One has him in a headlock as they attempt to take him away from the scene.

The man appears to be resisting the officers when one throws a punch at his head which misses. A witness can be heard yelling “don’t do that” while another says “what the f... was that?”. The man is then taken away by several police officers.

The woman who filmed the incident, who the Herald has agreed not to name, was walking with her family along Bairds Rd near the Rugby League World Cup fan zone about 2am on Sunday when saw police officers emptying cans and talking to the man.

She said a witness told her the man had refused to hand over the alcohol he was holding.

”All of a sudden they tackled him down, started smashing his head into the concrete then two other cops held him down while the other stomped on his back and that is when I started recording.

”We asked one of the other cops what the f... was that and they said it was nothing.”

Police say some of the behaviour shown "falls below the standards" they expect from staff. Photo / supplied

She said the attempted punch was “unnecessary”.

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Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Jill Rogers said images and videos often did not provide the “full context of the situation” staff were facing.

“However, in this case, we acknowledge some of the behaviour shown falls below the standards we would expect from our officers.

“We will be following this up with the staff involved and working to understand the full circumstances of what has occurred.”