News / police
Police told to ‘be on the front foot’ ahead of possible violence
Police officers who will be out on the streets of Bristol on Wednesday night have been told they have a duty to facilitate peaceful protest but they must not tolerate any violence.
Dozens of police officers from Avon & Somerset Constabulary and some from neighbouring forces had gathered in a hall in south Bristol on Wednesday afternoon to hear the briefing from superintendent Dan Forster.
Forster will be one of the senior officers in charge throughout whatever transpires on Wednesday evening, directing operations from police headquarters in Portishead.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol24/7 had been invited to hear the briefing from Forster ahead of a police operation expected to concentrate on West Street in Old Market ahead of a planned far-right rally targeting a firm of lawyers specialising in immigration.
We had to leave ahead of the full operational briefing, but police have reiterated they do not expect a march up Stapleton Road despite rumours circulating online.
With the sound of police dogs barking outside, officers were told to be “on the front foot” and to be “proactive”.
Forster told the gathered officers, arranged in teams, that he and his colleague Vicks Hayward-Melen have already spoken to community leaders in east Bristol “to give them the reassurance that we will protect that community”.
“The good news is that we have the trust, confidence and support of the community in Bristol east,” Forster said.
Forster quoted chief constable Sarah Crew who had told officers in an email to all staff that “it needs to be the strongest possible action to stop what is happening in our communities” and “we need to act quickly and decisively”.
He said: “We did that last weekend and we are going to do that again today.
“So what I need from you today is that I need you to be on the front foot. I need you to be proactive.
“As part of the operation, when we are in Bristol east or other parts of Bristol we may find ourselves in today…
“You have the full support of the UK government. You also have the full support of the wider criminal justice system.”
Superintendent Dan Forster addresses officers ahead of Wednesday’s far-right rally – photo: Martin Booth
Forster said that the police need to “counter” the impression that might be given by them having public order uniforms (riot gear in popular terminology), long batons and so-called NATO helmets clipped onto their belts.
“That sends a certain message. We need to counter that a little bit as much as we can by the way in which we engage and talk to people.
“When you are dealing with members of the community, when you are dealing with members of protest groups, I want you to provide reassurance where you can.
“I want you to be professional and I want you to be engaging.”
Forster also spoke about the “indiscriminate” use of force “One of the worst outcomes for me today would be we the police find ourselves in conflict with the community in Bristol east. That is not what I want to happen today…
“You know as public order cops that we’ve got a duty to facilitate peaceful protest. We all know that. What we’re not going to do is tolerate serious violence and disorder.
“I just really want you to focus on that and get that clear in your heads what the difference between those two things is.
“If we see serious violence and disorder today, then my expectation of you is exactly as I said: I want you to be on the front foot and I want you to be proactive to deal with that in the moment.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
