This is the dramatic moment a Spanish police officer forcefully arrests a female holidaymaker who lashes out at him after going to report a theft.

The pretty brunette appears to accuse the officer of brutality towards her while she grapples with the male officer before kicking him and trying to punch him as she shouts incoherently at him.

The surreal scene happened at the town hall in the Ibizan holiday resort of San Antonio at around 8am on Monday.

It ended with the officer grabbing the woman by the hair and smashing her down on seats in a waiting area before forcing her to the ground and handcuffing her.

The pretty brunette (left) appears to accuse the officer of brutality towards her while she grapples with the male officer before kicking him

Local reports said the woman, who insulted the policeman in English but did not appear to be a native English speaker, had gone in to report an early-morning theft she had suffered on the beach.

It was not immediately clear why she lost her temper, although she can be heard shouting at one point: 'You policemen hit me, I've had this here.'

The footage shows the officer, who is slightly shorter than the willowy brunette, is clearly on the defensive as she tries to hit him but decides after having to protect himself from her blows that enough is enough and the cuffs need to come out.

She shouts out in pain as she is unceremoniously dumped on her back on the ground and is turned over before being immobilised - and starts to yell even louder as stunned tourists look on and a pair of locals come in through the front door before being ushered to safety.

The surreal scene, which happened at the town hall in the Ibizan holiday resort of San Antonio around 8am on Monday

The officer grabbed the woman by the hair and smashed her down on seats in a waiting area before forcing her to the ground and handcuffing her

At one point during the dramatic detention, the woman can be overheard shouting in English: 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe.'

The unnamed female, whose nationality is not known, was taken away in an ambulance after back-up arrived.

The arrest was praised by social media users who described it as 'good police work.'

One suggested the woman may have taken 'bad drugs.'

Another added: 'What rag-tag tourism we get on this island!'

There was no immediate response this evening/yesterday evening (TUE) from the local council.