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| Police have plans for any riots during Olympics, says watchdog | Police have plans for any riots during Olympics, says watchdog |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The government's chief inspector of policing has said contingency plans are in place in case of rioting during the Olympics Games, and it would be "foolish to ignore" the possibility for further civil disorder. | The government's chief inspector of policing has said contingency plans are in place in case of rioting during the Olympics Games, and it would be "foolish to ignore" the possibility for further civil disorder. |
| Sir Denis O'Connor, of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), said there were "reserve proposals in place" to deal with any outbreak of unrest during and after the Games, which begin this month. | Sir Denis O'Connor, of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), said there were "reserve proposals in place" to deal with any outbreak of unrest during and after the Games, which begin this month. |
| "They [police forces] have made provision in relation to protest [and] they have made provision in relation into more serious violence as we saw last summer," he said. "They will have those arrangements until past the end of the Olympics – that's good planning." | "They [police forces] have made provision in relation to protest [and] they have made provision in relation into more serious violence as we saw last summer," he said. "They will have those arrangements until past the end of the Olympics – that's good planning." |
| He said forces involved in preparing for the Olympics, which will be the biggest peacetime policing operation in modern British history, had "a wide range of contingencies", including riots. Part of the plan is the quick mobilisation of officers into the capital from outside forces, he said. | He said forces involved in preparing for the Olympics, which will be the biggest peacetime policing operation in modern British history, had "a wide range of contingencies", including riots. Part of the plan is the quick mobilisation of officers into the capital from outside forces, he said. |
| O'Connor spoke to the Guardian after research into the police handling of the riots revealed that officers fear a repeat of the riots and are concerned about whether they will have the resources to cope if proposed budget cuts continue. | O'Connor spoke to the Guardian after research into the police handling of the riots revealed that officers fear a repeat of the riots and are concerned about whether they will have the resources to cope if proposed budget cuts continue. |
| Asked what he thought about the possibility of a repeat of last summer's disorder, O'Connor said: "These things are hard to predict, when the chemistry of these things comes together. One would be foolish to ignore the possibility, a) because people have seen it is possible to do that, and b) because the impact of something like that, when it gathers momentum, is so problematic." | Asked what he thought about the possibility of a repeat of last summer's disorder, O'Connor said: "These things are hard to predict, when the chemistry of these things comes together. One would be foolish to ignore the possibility, a) because people have seen it is possible to do that, and b) because the impact of something like that, when it gathers momentum, is so problematic." |
| He said predicting unrest was more "art than science" but it was important to prepare for every possibility. It would be necessary to "wait and see" whether the cuts in police budgets would have a knock-on impact on preparedness for dealing with public disorder, but he was particularly concerned over operational support for police, which includes training and which is being more severely cut than frontline services. | He said predicting unrest was more "art than science" but it was important to prepare for every possibility. It would be necessary to "wait and see" whether the cuts in police budgets would have a knock-on impact on preparedness for dealing with public disorder, but he was particularly concerned over operational support for police, which includes training and which is being more severely cut than frontline services. |
| The Guardian and London School of Economics study, Reading the Riots, found that one failing in London was the delay in calling for help from other forces under the mutual aid system and confusion over how best to deploy those officers. | The Guardian and London School of Economics study, Reading the Riots, found that one failing in London was the delay in calling for help from other forces under the mutual aid system and confusion over how best to deploy those officers. |
| "The mutual aid process did not work as it should have done," O'Connor said. "The real fundamental issue was that it took too long to provide that aid. It is being looked at now." | "The mutual aid process did not work as it should have done," O'Connor said. "The real fundamental issue was that it took too long to provide that aid. It is being looked at now." |
| He said some forces had made changes to the way they mobilised mutual aid officers since the riots, and HMIC was reviewing how the system works. | He said some forces had made changes to the way they mobilised mutual aid officers since the riots, and HMIC was reviewing how the system works. |
| "There are some reserve proposals in place to deal with the Olympics and the other side of that. If somebody is looking to get frisky on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night then there is provision in hand," he said. Asked to clarify his comments, O'Connor said there was "provision inside and outside London" to deal with any civil disorder during the Olympics. | "There are some reserve proposals in place to deal with the Olympics and the other side of that. If somebody is looking to get frisky on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night then there is provision in hand," he said. Asked to clarify his comments, O'Connor said there was "provision inside and outside London" to deal with any civil disorder during the Olympics. |
| He was speaking after the HMIC published its review of the impact of cuts on police forces across England and Wales. The review warned that police forces plan to reduce the number of frontline officers by 5,800 within the next three years. | He was speaking after the HMIC published its review of the impact of cuts on police forces across England and Wales. The review warned that police forces plan to reduce the number of frontline officers by 5,800 within the next three years. |
| The Reading the Riots project interviewed 130 police officers of every rank deployed in five different cities during last summer's unrest. Most thought there was likely to be a repeat of the riots and raised concerns about their preparedness after real-term cuts to police budgets of 20%. | The Reading the Riots project interviewed 130 police officers of every rank deployed in five different cities during last summer's unrest. Most thought there was likely to be a repeat of the riots and raised concerns about their preparedness after real-term cuts to police budgets of 20%. |
| Paul McKeever, the chairman of the Police Federation, urged the government to take urgent stock of the research, saying he believed police would struggle to cope with further disorder if budget cuts went ahead. | Paul McKeever, the chairman of the Police Federation, urged the government to take urgent stock of the research, saying he believed police would struggle to cope with further disorder if budget cuts went ahead. |
| Nick Herbert, the policing minister, told BBC Radio 5 Live he believed the study proved that what mattered was not the number of officers available but how quickly they were mobilised. | Nick Herbert, the policing minister, told BBC Radio 5 Live he believed the study proved that what mattered was not the number of officers available but how quickly they were mobilised. |
| "I think what the [Reading the Riots] report was saying is there were lessons to be learned from that for individual forces and for our overall system to make sure resources can be brought up [in times of emergency]," he said. | "I think what the [Reading the Riots] report was saying is there were lessons to be learned from that for individual forces and for our overall system to make sure resources can be brought up [in times of emergency]," he said. |
| Herbert said the Guardian coverage was a "reminder of the considerable courage that officers showed to regain order on the streets". He added: "But the number of police support units that are trained to deal with riot situations is the same today as it was last year. | Herbert said the Guardian coverage was a "reminder of the considerable courage that officers showed to regain order on the streets". He added: "But the number of police support units that are trained to deal with riot situations is the same today as it was last year. |
| "The total number of police officers that there are, on the latest official figures, is still far higher than it was in the 1990s and the 1980s. The real question for us is: bearing in mind that last year police numbers were still at something of a record high, surely the learning is about how those resources were used." | "The total number of police officers that there are, on the latest official figures, is still far higher than it was in the 1990s and the 1980s. The real question for us is: bearing in mind that last year police numbers were still at something of a record high, surely the learning is about how those resources were used." |
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