Everton striker Victor Anichebe demanded an apology from police on Thursday after being confronted by officers who thought the Premier League player was part of a gang of violent jewel thieves.

An Everton spokesman said Anichebe and a friend were peering in the window of a jewellers in the affluent town of Knutsford, northern England [Images], when police pounced, believing the pair were scouting the premises.

A row ensued with the 20-year-old Nigerian, who is on crutches after undergoing surgery on a knee injury last week, and his friend was handcuffed.

The pair were released when officers realised their mistake, but the incident had left Anichebe upset and distressed, the Everton spokesman said.

The player was waiting for detectives to say sorry but had so far heard nothing.

"We would now expect him to receive a full and unreserved apology from the police, and both he and the club would then consider the matter closed," the spokesman said.

Cheshire Police said closed circuit TV operators were monitoring jewellers in Knutsford and the surrounding area following a spate of violent robberies, and had reported that Anichebe and his friend were acting suspiciously.

"Police attended the location within minutes and upon speaking with the two men, a heated dialogue developed in an attempt to ascertain exactly what the two persons were doing outside the jewellers premises," a police statement said.

"It was subsequently ascertained that there was no criminal conduct whatsoever on behalf of the two men concerned."

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