Met Police Acknowledge Missteps in Handling Pro-Palestine Protests

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A senior officer from Scotland Yard has admitted that the Metropolitan Police made mistakes in their approach to policing the recent pro-Palestine protests. Matt Twist, the assistant commissioner responsible for public order policing, conceded that the force "didn’t get everything right," particularly in the initial stages of the demonstrations in October.

Pro-#Hamas protest in London.
Britain clearly has a huge problem pic.twitter.com/tYiwtqPCij

— Shunya (@Shunyaa00) November 11, 2023

 

In a discussion with the think tank Policy Exchange, Mr. Twist highlighted the controversial decision not to immediately arrest demonstrators who were chanting "jihad." He explained that this decision was based on rapid legal advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). “On occasion, we did not move quickly to make arrests, for example, the man chanting for ‘jihad’ which was a decision made following fast-time advice from lawyers and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS),” he said.

 

 

Mr. Twist noted that the police have since adjusted their tactics to respond more swiftly and decisively. “We are now much more focused on identifying reasonable grounds for arrest, acting where needed, and then investigating, so in these circumstances it’s very likely arrests would be made more quickly now,” he added.

 

Addressing accusations of differential policing, Mr. Twist rejected the notion of "two-tier" policing in how the Met handled the protests. He insisted that the police operate with "an infinite number of tiers of policing," which are based on the varying levels of threat, harm, and risk associated with different situations. “In public order policing, we are neutral as to the cause that is being protested. We base policing tactics on the threat, harm and risk based on the information and intelligence available to us,” he stated. “In that sense, there is no such thing as ‘two-tier or differential policing’ – there are, in fact, an infinite number of tiers of policing, depending on the threat, harm and risk,” he added.

 

The Policy Exchange report, released ahead of a government review of protest policing, revealed that many town and city centers targeted for protests had effectively become “no-go” zones for the general public. The report found that over two-thirds of 1,500 adults surveyed would avoid traveling into towns or city centers with young children, elderly, or disabled relatives if a major protest was taking place. Additionally, more than six in ten respondents indicated they would abandon plans to visit tourist attractions or go shopping if a protest were scheduled.

 

The report criticized the police, prosecutors, the government, and the courts for often failing to prioritize the rights of ordinary citizens over the “rights” of disruptive protesters. It found that more than 80 percent of those polled believed police should intervene when protesters damaged private property, threatened passersby, or displayed banners with racist or derogatory slogans. Furthermore, more than three-quarters agreed that police should act when protesters obstructed roads, blocked access to public transport or workplaces, or climbed on buildings or monuments.

 

The cost of policing these protests in London from October 2023 to June 2024 was revealed to be £42.9 million. The protests required 51,799 police officer shifts, which were diverted from addressing other crimes such as knife crime, violence against women, and antisocial behavior in London. Additionally, 9,639 police officer shifts were diverted into London from other parts of the country. Each major march, which has been regularly held in the capital since October 2023, has typically taken over 3.6 kilometers of major London streets for an average of five hours at a time.

 

The Policy Exchange report made over 20 recommendations, including granting police greater powers to prohibit protests if there is a risk of serious public disorder. It also suggested that protesters be required to provide 28 days' notice before demonstrations to allow more time for police and other agencies to prepare.

 

Credit: BBC | X 2024-09-11

 

 

 

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[mikeymike100]

Well now they are admitting they messed up on the early pro Palestine marches, but they do NOT admit to 2 tier policing, what and absolute joke, all they have to do is watch 'you tube', but I suppose they're too busy looking for Hate Speech on Facebook!

[JonnyF]

It wasn't a misstep, it was simply the latest in a long string of incidents that highlighted 2 tier policing in Britain.

 

They did it then, and they will do it next time as well. 

 

The Met Police under Khan are a joke. The UK under Starmer is a joke. 

 

 

[James105]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

In public order policing, we are neutral as to the cause that is being protested. We base policing tactics on the threat, harm and risk based on the information and intelligence available to us

 

This is a flat out lie.  They are policing based on how scared they are of being called racist or how scared they are of receiving the wrath of the cultural enrichers the UK has let into the country.   It's easy to arrest that lady who made a hurty word facebook post, not so easy to arrest someone who is calling islamists who are calling for the genocide of jews or who wish to rape their daughters.  

 

If they policed these hate marches the same way they did the white people marches the level of violence towards the police would be off the scale.   

[JGV]

if you keep quiet in the uk i guess life is much the same undewr starmer but activists are regarded as a problem as the uk descends into an orwellian nightmare -  Priaon time if you cricise Israel