Policing Large Scale Disorder: Lessons from the disturbances of ...

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Home Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev w59 particularly existing fencing around the protest sites. In situ concrete blocks were cast to support the vertical fencing posts and hoardings were bolted to vertical panels. 4. The Day of the Protests 4.1 Officers from Bradford Council and the Police worked closely with representatives of community and faith organisations on the day of the protest, ranging from Gold and Silver Command right down to an operational street level. Information received from the control centre was relayed to colleagues working in the neighbourhoods and visa versa. Having access to the real time CCTV images meant that key intelligence messages could be relayed to community contacts in the city centre who were trained and stationed to help deal with critical situations, should the need arise. The Reassurance and Engagement group used their links with opinion formers and key contacts. This included individual networks such as faith organisations, community groups, Voluntary Youth Outreach, Neighbourhood Wardens, Youth Services and Community Mediators. Their collective responsibilities involved gauging tensions, sharing key messages, identifying issues, defusing incidents and working as a conduit between organisations. 4.2 Our key message was that the people of Bradford had a right to enjoy their Bank Holiday, without having it disrupted by people from outside our district who have no concern about our community, no concern about our local businesses and no interest in our future. Our aim, which was also widely shared, was to make sure that people could go about their daily lives with as little disruption as possible. 4.3 A joint Police and Council communications team was based in Bradford’s city centre police station on the day of the protests, receiving information from and reporting to Gold Command. Twitter was used extensively to provide information and to counteract rumour and misinformation. Partner organisations retweeted messages to ensure maximum impact. 4.4 A Police leaflet giving advice to the general public on the day of the protests was also produced and widely distributed. 4.5 Bradfordians showed their opposition, in a peaceful, positive and dignified way, to people from outside the district using their city as a venue for protests. They did this by staying away from the city centre or by joining in community celebration events and peace vigils or by taking part in a range of neighbourhood activities. 4.6 Bradford Women for Peace created a web of green ribbon in the centre of the city to show that the people of Bradford can share peace through trust and hope in each other. Green ribbons were tied to railings and posts around the city and by the time a vigil for the city was held on the evening before the planned protests, the action of these women had come to symbolise the hopes of Bradfordians of all backgrounds. 4.7 Bradford Cathedral and faith groups held vigils. Mosques, churches, community organisations, the Police and the Council provided neighbourhood activities for young people. “Bradford Together” held a familyfriendly community celebration near the city centre. 4.8 As soon as the protests were over and as the protestors were being escorted onto the coaches that had brought them from across the country into our city, the clean up operation began. The Council’s street cleansing teams worked throughout the night to ensure the city centre was pristine again. 5. The Day After the Protests 5.1 On the day immediately after the protests, people of all faiths joined the congregation from the Cathedral for prayers to “reclaim” the urban garden space, where the EDL protest had taken place, for the city. This formed the basis of a You Tube video from the Bradford South Police Divisional Commander. 5.2 Councillors who had been directly involved in the planning for and managing of the protests were approached by local people, who wanted to tell them how proud they were to be a Bradfordian that day. There was a very tangible sense of belonging, togetherness and pride in what Bradfordians, of all faith, cultural and economic backgrounds, had achieved in the immediate aftermath of the protests and this feeling has stood the test of time. 5.3 The protests in Bradford in August 2010 were acknowledged as a very public test of change since 2001. The coordinated response, from the Police, Council, private/public sector partners and voluntary, community and faith groups, meant that all agencies and communities cooperated to minimise the opportunity for a major incident to occur. The fact that young men in particular, from all communities, chose to keep away was also testament to a mature local approach to dealing with issues and challenges. 6. Partnership Policy Development and Service Delivery 6.1 The way Bradford responded during the public disorder in some English cities in August 2011 and in response to the EDL protest in August 2010 was, in a large part, the result of partnership policy development and service delivery over a sustained period of time. 6.2 Citizenship and community relations
Ev w60 Home Affairs Committee: Evidence 6.2.1 The Council and the Police, working with a range of public, private and third sector partners, have: promoted citizenship, encouraged local people’s involvement in decision making within neighbourhoods and built on pride-of-place across Bradford District, as an essential part of developing good relations across and within communities. 6.2.2 In Bradford there is a broad consensus that building good community relations is about encouraging positive relationships between different groups of people, including communities of ethnic origin, faith, culture, age, gender and disability. There is also general agreement that deprivation (structural) and discrimination (attitudinal) are key barriers to inclusion, with an individual’s economic background being at least as important as their cultural background in defining their life chances. 6.3 Communications 6.3.1 Over recent years, communication has emphasised what different communities have in common, (cohesion) rather than focussing on their differences (multiculturalism). People from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds do, in general, share the same key priorities, concerns, and core values. This approach celebrates the contributions that individuals from a range of cultural and economic backgrounds make to an area. It concentrates on fostering belonging and a sense of a shared future amongst local people. 6.3.2 A strategic approach to co-ordinating communications and marketing activity has been adopted across partner agencies. Key messages on difficult issues which can affect community relations, for example: school admissions, neighbourhood cleanliness, asylum seekers and migrant workers, have been agreed and used consistently. Speedy communications have been delivered to alleviate concerns where community relations could be threatened, for example, perceived unfairness in the distribution of resources. 6.4 Educational attainment 6.4.1 Educational attainment, particularly at primary level, has improved in the last 10 years, although there is still much to achieve now the Council’s contract with Serco (Education Bradford) has ended and the Council has taken back responsibility for educating the district’s children. 6.4.2 An important example of the partnership approach and commitment of Bradford based companies to raising educational aspiration and attainment is evidenced by Morrisons, who have recently announced that recruits to their new national training programme, as well as gaining hands-on experience, will undertake a specially developed three-year retail degree course devised by Bradford University to help prepare them for senior management roles. Also by the successful Bradford District partnership “someone for your future” marketing campaign, developed by and aimed at young people. 6.5 Neighbourhood Policing 6.5.1 Neighbourhood policing is strong across Bradford District. There are positive links between the Police and a range of community and faith groups and there is co-ordinated working between the Police, Council and other key organisations at neighbourhood level. Since 2001 Overall Crime in the Bradford District has dropped by 32%. 6.5.2 The long established and close liaison between West Yorkshire Police and Council teams at all levels, from the Command Teams to officers working from the streets of Bradford, has strengthened understanding, trust and information sharing. This integrated working is so well established that many services are delivered by “virtual” shared teams, operating effectively and seamlessly as part of everyday work activity. 6.6 Civil contingencies planning 6.6.1 The liaison between the Emergency Management Team and a variety of faith and community groups was strengthened significantly in the years after the 2001 riots. This good working relationship has established a shared understanding of both issues and solutions. 6.6.2 Bradford District Community Tension Monitoring Group, which was established following the 2001 riots, gives the Police, the Council and partner organisations a timely and full understanding of where reports of tension across the district are occurring so that action can be taken to address any situations at an early stage. This has since been developed into the Reassurance and Engagement Group which meets quarterly, but has the ability to come together immediately at times of heightened tension to manage and co-ordinate the response of organisations. 6.7 Regeneration 6.7.1 The regeneration of Bradford city centre, as the key driver for economic growth across the district, has gathered significant momentum over the past year. 6.7.2 Developments like Southgate, where Bradford Council provided a commercial loan of just over £6 million to a company with a development at an advanced stage of construction and a number of pre-lets agreed when the banks were inert in providing capital, has recently been completed.
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