Roger Graef, executive producer of Ready for A Riot, talks about how police strategy for containing riots has evolved over the years.
Last April the Metropolitan police faced one of the biggest police operations in many years. As well as a big match at Wembley, there was a state visit from the President of Mexico, followed by G20 with heads of state from around the world, all of whom needed protection. And then some 40,000 people descended on the City of London to protest about everything from capitalism and bankers to climate change.
Although the Met is the UK's largest force, its supply of manpower trained to deal with public order was stretched to the limit. Despite skirmishes and some violence, by the end of the week the limited damage to the City contrasted with the chaos and millions' worth of destruction seen in 1999 when protestors went on the rampage in what was known as J18. The G20 operation was deemed a success.
But days later, images of Ian Tomlinson being struck from behind appeared on the net, soon followed by other images of police hitting protestors with open hands, batons, and shields. The mounting outrage prompted dozens of complaints, investigations by two Select Committee, and a review by the police watchdog, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. Police defended the operation as having protected property, and the rights of thousands of office workers and residents to go about their business.
But the Met were now in the spotlight for apparently having overreacted or used inappropriate tactics such as 'kettling': keeping thousands contained for hours because of a much smaller number of troublemakers in their midst.
From the imagery, it looked as though a few officers lost control after standing in full riot gear on a hot day taking verbal abuse from protestors, angry at being kept in one place without food and water. Several officers are under investigation for having done just that.
But Dispatches has been given exclusive access to Metropolitan police training for public order that shows most officers involved in the G20 conflict were following protocols taught in two days of training for worst case scenarios.
Ready for a Riot shows the evolution of police public order strategy and the fearsome uniform - born from frequent and serious violence of the 1980s. Many officers were injured, and PC Keith Blakelock was killed at Broadwater Farm. Ten years later, police response to Health and Safety legislation led senior officers to minimise the risk their officers face.
Moreover, the damage caused at J18 when the crowds were dispersed and wreaked havoc has led police to believe containment is a much safer option to protect property and keep troublemakers under tight control.
But critics argue police response needs to be tailored to the peaceful nature of modern protest, and to the overwhelming number of demos and marches in London that pass off without incident.
The Met understand this but want a debate to take the public with them as they strike the difficult balance between peaceful but unlawful protest by a vociferous minority and the legal rights of others to go about their business uninterrupted. Ready for a Riot offers important new evidence for that debate so the public can judge for itself how it wants to be policed.
Roger Graef.
