According to the report, authored by a group of MPs, front line police officers at the G20 protests in central London lacked the training and experience to cope with the mass demonstrations as more than 35,000 people took to the streets at the beginning of April.
Indeed, the MPs have been heavily critical of senior officers for several aspects of the huge GB pound 7.2 million policing operation that involved personnel from several forces. For example, there is concern that untrained and inexperienced officers were left in such a “highly combustible atmosphere”, with the suggestion that “an element of luck” may have helped police prevent worse violence.
In evidence given to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the senior officer in charge of the police operation freely admitted that his front line charges no longer receive sufficient training in tackling public order. Commander Bob Broadhurst states that the number of days of basic training has been cut from four to two days each year, while at the same time acknowledging the “vast majority” of officers had never faced a situation as violent as that occurring on 1 April.
Money needs to be spent in preparing officers
Indeed, the HASC report espouses the view that money spent on water cannons and other law enforcement equipment to generate and maintain distance between police officers and protesters could be better used in preparing those officers to deal with large crowds.
In what is the first review of the protests in which newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson tragically died, the MPs also question the controversial containment tactic of ‘kettling’ that’s designed to ring-fence protestors in a given area or areas. Put simply, the MPs feel that front line officers must be given discretion to allow some people to ‘escape’ from such highly-charged events.
The cross-party Parliamentary report is also critical of another key issue relating to the protests – that of officers going on duty with their identifying numbers either concealed or simply left off their uniforms. The report is adamant that, in future, senior officers must take responsibility for ensuring the rules are rigidly followed.
In an official statement responding to the HASC report, assistant Met commissioner Chris Allison – who’s in charge of central operations – said: “What we have always sought to do is facilitate lawful protest, balance the competing rights of those affected by any protest and to do our duty in upholding the law.”
Constantly seek to improve policing
Allison continued: “As an organisation that serves the public, it’s vital that we constantly seek to improve the service that we provide. We always learn from every event that we police, and G20 will be no exception. We must do this, not only to ensure we give the best possible support to our staff who put themselves on the front line, but also to support those who want to exercise their democratic right to protest. Only by doing so will we maintain the confidence of Londoners.”
Allison, however, is clearly not of a like mind with MPs when it comes to their views on police training. “It’s wrong to suggest that our officers are not trained. They are. To suggest otherwise can only serve to damage public confidence in what we do.”
From the policing perspective, G20 was nothing if not a complex and hugely demanding operation managing the protection of Heads of States, while balancing the right to lawful protest and maintaining public order on the streets of the capital.
“It should not be forgotten what was achieved,” urged Allison. “This report does highlight that it was a remarkably successful policing operation. We police over 4,500 events a year, and the vast majority pass off without incident due to constructive dialogue between the police and event organisers.”
As a footnote to that comment, Allison added: “For that small percentage of groups with whom we have not had any constructive dialogue, I ask them to break the cycle and come and talk to us.”
Damaging public confidence in the police service
Following Tomlinson’s death, independent investigators have launched several inquiries after footage of officers lashing out at protesters was caught on camera and splashed across the national media. The HASC report is swift to recognise that a small number of high-profile incidents such as the G20 protest could damage the confidence of the public in the police service as a whole.
“Policing must be proportionate, lawful, accountable and necessary. We fully accept that we will not get it right every time,” said Meredydd Hughes, the current chief constable of South Yorkshire and a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Commander Bob Broadhurst has been extremely vocal over his concerns that the Metropolitan Police Service had not been properly consulted by the Government over the date of the G20 Summit, nor its location at the Excel Exhibition Centre in the heart of London’s Docklands.
Addressing Broadhurst’s comment, the HASC report accepts that three months notice was not enough for the Met to prepare fully for this event. In other countries it’s usually the case that the police would have several years to plan ahead, claims the report, which does state that the G20 operation was, on the whole, a success.
Reputational damage to the Met
There’s little doubt that the Met’s reputation has been tarnished by claims of brutality on the day, and the country’s premier police service now faces up to an ongoing series of independent inquiries into allegations of heavy-handed tactics as a direct result.
In truth, more than 200 allegations of brutality have been raised and presently consume one third of the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s (IPCC) available resources.
One serving officer has been suspended after pushing Tomlinson to the ground moments before the Millwall fan collapsed and died. Another is being investigated in relation to two separate allegations, including an accusation that he hit a woman protester across the face.
The HASC is critical of the length of time due to be taken by the IPCC to complete its investigations into these and other incidents, and has therefore called for additional emergency funding to be made available as an assistance to the watchdog.
