Police warn protests may hit emergency services

POLICE officers in Bristol say planned protests in the city next week could hit the ability of emergency service crews to respond to emergencies.

The Western Daily Press reported earlier this week that hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protesters were prepared to be arrested during a week-long ‘occupation’ of the city.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary says it creates the prospect of causing significant disruption, particularly in the Bristol Bridge area.

Area Commander, Chief Inspector Mark Runacres, said: “We’re proactively engaging with the protesters, local businesses and the wider community to ensure people are being kept informed of any developments that may impact on their daily lives.

“Due to the potential scale of the protest and the impact it may have, we’ve had to cancel officers’ rest days to make sure we have sufficient resources in place over the five days.

“Any unplanned and lengthy road closure could impact on the ability of emergency services to respond to incidents and we and our partners are factoring this into our plans so we can continue to keep the public safe.

“Public safety will always be our main priority and we operate a zerotolerance approach to any form of antisocial behaviour and disorder. Officers will be robust in dealing with anyone who engages in this kind of behaviour.”

The climate activist group wants the Government to change its recently-set target for zero carbon emissions from 2050 to 2025. As part of a country-wide rebellion called Summer Uprising, followers will be holding protests in five cities including Bristol.

Starting with the week-long occupation of Bristol Bridge on Monday at 10am, organisers expect more than 1,000 people will take part in the action.

On Tuesday, they will occupy College Green and on Friday will protest outside the Ministry of Defence in Stoke Gifford. An organiser said more than 1,000 people had enlisted for the event, more than 300 of them saying they were willing to be arrested, including 100 saying they would be prepared to be jailed.