Police methods 'could erode public support'
Updated on 25 November 2009
The police are warned that hardline crowd control tactics may help them win individual battles with protesters, but risk losing them the war of public opinion, a report said today. Rags Martel reports.
The chief inspector of constabulary, Denis O'Connor, says that tactics such as those used at the G20 protests can appear as "unfair, aggressive or inconsistent", harming the reputation of officers involved and undermining public support.
A police watchdog said apparently unfair and aggressive moves may help officers keep order at protests, but they risk damaging confidence in the service.
Denis O'Connor, her majesty's chief inspector of constabulary, said it is time to reassert the founding principles of British policing.
He said "premature" displays of "formidable" officers in specialist uniform give the impression of a "hardening of the character of British policing."
Mr O'Connor called for officers to tackle even the most inflammatory events using the minimum of force while remaining approachable, impartial and accountable.
In the second part of his review of public order policing published today, Mr O'Connor focussed on how police should adapt to modern protests.
The review was ordered in the wake of angry clashes between protesters and police in the City of London during the G20 meeting of world leaders in April.
Mr O'Connor said the principles of traditional policing are better suited to handling highly-charged modern protests than any other tactics used overseas.
He said: "British police risk losing the battle for the public's consent if they win public order through tactics that appear to be unfair, aggressive or inconsistent.
"This harms not just the reputation of the officers concerned but the police service as a whole."
The report published today examined protests in London, including the City and Blackheath, Kingsnorth, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.
Mr O'Connor said police operations around the protests revealed there are inconsistencies in training, standards and leadership.
He criticised the lack of clear standards on the use of force and the inappropriate use of stop and search powers and intrusive surveillance photography.
The inspector said the current tactics manual is five years out of date and recommended forces agree common standards for uniform and training.
Mr O'Connor said police chiefs should adopt a fundamental set of principles on the use of force to run as a "golden thread" through all their work.
He said: "The world is changing and policing needs to change with it. Public order policing needs to evolve as we move towards the London Olympics in 2012 and beyond.
"This will protect the rights of protesters and the wider public as well as protecting the integrity of the British policing model."
The review also examined the role of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), a private company that helps to form police strategy.
He recommended that its status is reviewed to ensure it is transparent and accountable. The report also recommended the position of several controversial units responsible for co-ordinating the national response to domestic extremism is reviewed.
The "quasi-operational" units currently come under the umbrella of Acpo, but Mr O'Connor said they may be better placed in a major force. Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, of South Yorkshire Police, said work to write a new manual on public order operations and training is under way.
Mr Hughes, who is the Acpo lead for uniformed operations, said the report will help reshape the police response to protests. He said: "This report will shape the future of national public order policing.
It represents the first time that British policing has examined modern protest in such a public way. "It will drive changes in our preparation for protest and our relationships with those involved. Just as the service will change to meet new attitudes, protesters must understand their social responsibility."
Chief Superintendent Derek Barnett, president-elect of the Police Superintendents' Association, said the report should be implemented at the first opportunity.
He said: "The vast majority of public demonstrations take place peacefully which is testament to the desire of demonstrators to do so in co-operation with the police and the planning and operational skills of the police service."
Paul Murphy, of the Association of Police Authorities, (APA), said police must adapt to the basic right of people to organise peaceful protest.
He said: "The report pulls no punches, and goes to the heart of what kind of policing the British public expect and deserve."
Our home affairs correspondent, Simon Israel, spoke to Samira Ahmed.
