A video showing an Egyptian policewoman slapping a man accused of molesting a woman on the streets of Cairo has gone viral.

In the minute-long clip, policewoman Neshawi Mahmood – accompanied by male officers – can be seen pushing the unidentified male inside the cinema surrounded by a tightly-packed crowd during the Islamic celebration of Eid earlier this month.

Once inside, Ms Mahmood appears to give the man a few jabs with her electric baton before slapping him across the face while telling him off.

The man is then led across the room and forced to the ground, where he buries his head in his hands. His crime is not revealed in the clip, published on 19 July, which has been viewed half a million times on YouTube.

The female officer is part of a police team newly established to crack down on sexual violence against women, which tends to spike during public holidays such as Eid.

The police team’s head said 86 people had been arrested for sexual harassment during Eid, the Middle Eastern Eye reported, in a country where authorities have promised to do more to tackle sexual violence against women.