UK G20 report recommends new protest policing strategies

Brian Jackson 

The UK's Chief Inspectorate of
Constabulary Wednesday released
a report critical of the manner
in which British law enforcement
handled protesters at the
G20 summit held in London in April.

The report also detailed a
number of proposals to deal with
future protester gatherings, including
more proportionate amounts
of force, increased training for
police forces on techniques
for handling public gatherings,
and increased communication
between protesters and police.

In a release, Chief Inspector
Denis O'Connor said, "the world
is changing and the police need
to think about changing their
approach to policing protest."
O'Connor also called for
a comprehensive implementation
of the changes, as British handling
of large crowds will soon be
on display again as
the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London draw near.

The Inspectorate report came
at the behest of Scotland Yard in
the wake of the death of newspaper
vendor Ian Tomlinson during the G20.

Police handling of protesters was
also an issue at the second
G20 summit of the year, held
in Pittsburgh in September.

There were no deaths during
the Pittsburgh G20, but
police tactics, including the use
of pepper spray, smoke canisters,
and rubber bullets, was questioned.

Perhaps the most controversial
tactic was the use of the
Long Range Acoustic Device
against citizens, a tactic that
raised a number questions and
drew concern from commentators
and civil liberties advocates.

Link here
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J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda