Row over ‘softly softly’ policing of protest yobs
POLICE chiefs faced a furious row over ‘softly softly’ tactics yesterday after failing to stop ‘thuggery’ marring race protests.
there was anger after officers were told to hang back as a monument to 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol and the statue of Sir Winston Churchill defaced in Parliament Square on Sunday.
there were even calls for those in charge of the policing in Bristol to be sacked.
rank and file officers who were left bloodied and bruised after being pelted with fireworks, rocks and bottles during the Black Lives Matter protests in London also accused their bosses of jeopardising their safety for the sake of public perception.
At least 35 officers were injured in demonstrations in the capital as police were chased by protesters throwing large rocks and bottles over the weekend in what the Prime Minister described as ‘thuggery’.
Amid the melee, one activist even clambered onto the Cenotaph and attempted to set fire to the Union Flag.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, demanded Commissioner Cressida Dick apologise for sending out officers with only stab vests, flat caps and high-visibility jackets.
‘Enough is enough,’ he said. ‘We would expect an official apology from senior leaders to our members for being frankly offered up like this. it seems we are more concerned about image and perception rather than protecting our brave police officers and maintaining order.
‘Some people are using these protests as an excuse to attack officers. We have had enough warnings. the tactics being used by the Metropolitan Police are very wrong and need to be looked at as a matter of urgency.’
He demanded his colleagues be properly equipped with public order gear, saying: ‘Our colleagues’ safety should be of paramount importance to our police leaders.’
in Bristol, where police stood by while a masked mob tore down the statue of Edward Colston, there was dismay from some officers ordered not to intervene.
Avon and Somerset Police said the statue was pulled down in two minutes before they could stop it and once it was on the floor, officers were told not to step in. But some officers were said to be ‘absolutely gutted by the decision making’ in the control room.
John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation, which represents all officers serving in England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast: ‘to have no police presence there i think sent quite a negative message.
‘i understand the anger but not to have a police presence there was something – i have been a police officer for 27 years – that was a decision i have not seen taken before.’
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson said last night that the thugs who had ‘hijacked’ the race protests around the country would feel the ‘full force of the law’.
the Prime Minister said the death of George Floyd had ‘awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice’.
But he declared: ‘i will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments.’
Mr Johnson added: ‘i must say clearly that those who attack public property or the police – who injure the police officers who are trying to keep us all safe – those people will face the full force of the law; not just because of the hurt and damage they are causing, but because of the damage they are doing to the cause they claim to represent.’