Police tactics to change
Updated on 25 November 2009
The police must stop being heavy-handed when they are dealing with demonstrators and return to traditional tactics.
Following the scenes at the G20 and Kingsnorth climate change protests, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor, says in a report that officers risk losing public support if they are seen as aggressive and unfair.
The association of chief police officers has told Channel 4 News they will now look at "every aspect" of policing protests.
Mr O'Connor called for officers to tackle even the most inflammatory events using the minimum of force while remaining approachable, impartial and accountable.
He 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."
