The video appears to show PSNI officers moving the woman to a bus stop before a bus pulls up close to her

The PSNI are to refer a video, which appears to show officers leaving an incapacitated woman on a road, to the police ombudsman.

The video, believed to have been shot on St Patrick's Day, shows officers lifting a woman from the middle of John Street in Londonderry and moving her to a bus stop at the side of the road before driving off.

The video shows a woman being lifted from the middle of the road on John Street in Londonderry.

PSNI Chief Superintendent Stephen Cargin said: "As soon as we saw it we referred it to the ombudsman.

"The officers have not yet been identified. I only knew about it this morning.

"We hope to identify the officers in the next couple of hours.

"On occasion when officers are investigated because of a breach of standards, there a number of things that can be done. They could be suspended or repositioned depending on the investigation.

Assistant chief constable George Hamilton said the officers' behaviour, was "well below the standards we expect from our officers in dealing with vulnerable people whether the vulnerability is due to alcohol or anything else".

Sean McCallion, who filmed the video, told the BBC that the woman has been assaulted before police arrived. This allegation has not been confirmed by the PSNI.

Mr McCallion said: "They (the police) lifted her and dragged her onto the bus lane. They didn't drag her onto the footpath, which was about three feet away. They drove away.

"Somebody helped straight after I stopped the video. I was shocked whenever I saw the police drive away. She could have been run over or anything."

A Policing Board spokesperson said: “Whilst the circumstances surrounding this incident are not yet clear, video footage of the police response raises questions of the most serious nature.

"The Board and the public rightly expect the highest professional standards of all of our police officers and anything that falls short of that is simply unacceptable.

"The Board has been informed by the PSNI that the matter has been referred to the Police Ombudsman for independent investigation.”

Sinn Féin councillor Elisha McCallion said she has requested a meeting with senior PSNI members in Londonderry.

"I have viewed the video, it's shocking and totally unacceptable," she said.

Belfast Telegraph