CHESHIRE Police on apologised to Nigerian international, Victor Anichebe after officers challenged him as he looked in a jeweller’s shop window.

The Everton player was window-shopping on Wednesday with a friend in Knutsford, Cheshire, when officers confronted the pair, eventually handcuffing his friend.

Police said they were acting after a spate of robberies but admitted it was a “less than proportionate reaction”.

Anichebe said the incident was “embarrassing and totally humiliating”.

He said in a statement: “Whilst I do fully understand Cheshire Police’s desire to tackle the problem of robberies on jewellery shops in the Knutsford area, I remain deeply upset and very angry about the treatment which was meted out to myself and a friend yesterday [Wednesday].

“It was not only totally ridiculous but also highly embarrassing and totally humiliating. Simply because we stood our ground and insisted that we had done absolutely nothing wrong, they decided to place my friend in handcuffs.

“I am currently having to use crutches to walk as I recently underwent surgery on a knee injury and - astonishingly - one of the officers even tried to grab the crutches in order to prevent me from ‘escaping’.”

He added: “After what seemed like an eternity the police officers seemed to realise that they had made a mistake, acknowledging that I was a footballer with a Premiership club and not someone who was preparing to commit a crime.”

“At the time, I asked the officers if they would have taken the action they did had I been white rather than black.” A police spokesman said: “It is only right and proper that the police act expeditiously in protecting vulnerable premises such as jewellery shops.