He also denied the Government had put pressure on the police insisting they were "rightly, operationally independent of Government". "I think that is the right thing to do and the police will make decisions on when they use those powers." Sir Peter Fahy, the former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, warned that new legislation to clamp down on protests was "very poorly defined and far too broad".ĭavid Davis, the senior Tory MP, also criticised the Public Order Act and called for the Home Affairs Select Committee to investigate.īut Rishi Sunak praised the police for using the new law to ensure that everything at the Coronation "went off so smoothly and was so successful".ĭuring a visit to Southampton, the Prime Minister said: "What the Government has done is give the police the powers that they need to tackle instances of serious disruption to people's lives. Serious and reliable intelligence told us that the risks were very real.” The Commissioner went on: “I want to be absolutely clear - our activity was targeted at those we believed were intent on causing serious disruption and criminality. He said that, while there was “low tolerance” of disruptive protests, there was not “zero tolerance” and a large number of people had been present to make their anti-monarchist views heard. The Commissioner hit out at “ill-informed commentary” that suggested the police had banned all protest and said he was proud of the part his officers played in ensuring the “historic moment of huge national significance” went off smoothly. “Officers have told me how the celebrating crowds applauded and cheered as they made 17 arrests in The Mall area close to the processional route and imminent to the start of the procession.” These included arrests made for sex offences, illegal drugs and fighting but also groups who were believed to be involved in the type of criminal activities our intelligence had indicated. Sir Mark went on: “The intelligence and subsequent investigative work led to officers making arrests across multiple locations. “The threat was so concerning that on Friday the Home Secretary and Mayor were given late night briefings as plans were being put in place,” he explained. He said with 160 mounted regiments taking part in the procession there was real concern that people could be injured. “We also had intelligence that people intended to extensively vandalise monuments, throw paint at the procession, and incur on to the route.” “This included people intent on using rape alarms and loud hailers as part of their protest which would have caused distress to military horses. In a strongly worded defence of the Met’s handling of the historic event, Sir Mark said: “By Friday evening, only 12 hours from the Coronation, we had become extremely concerned by a rapidly developing intelligence picture suggesting the Coronation could suffer. If the disruption had not been stopped, Sir Mark said, it could have resulted in multiple serious injuries for those taking part in the mounted procession. He said just hours before the Coronation took place, police had received intelligence that people intended to vandalise monuments, throw paint at the procession and invade the route. The Met Commissioner said his officers had worked around the clock to identify and arrest the criminal network that planned to attack the event and compromise the safety of those taking part. Protesters posing as stewards planned to disrupt the Coronation by throwing bottles of white paint at the procession, Sir Mark Rowley has revealed.
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