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

Ev w62 Home Affairs Committee: Evidence
— “Attitudes between the established populations (across all faiths and no faith) in particular were very
similar on a range of local issues, as well as on national and international issues.”
— “All participants had good things to say about Britain, and established residents in particular
expressed a strong sense of local pride in Bradford.”
7.7 Local people from all communities and from different cultural and economic backgrounds in Bradford
District do share common values about the importance of strong families, clean neighbourhoods and safe city
and town centers. Bradfordians know that all families and communities can only benefit from a prosperous and
peaceful District.
7.8 Good community relations, nationally and locally can only be achieved by effective community
leadership that promotes citizenship, belonging, and pride of place—a common understanding of a shared
future where all residents from every economic and cultural background are personal stakeholders.
7.9 Bradford District is home to many different places, people and communities. We face many challenges,
but we know we can face and resolve any challenge together.
August 2011
Written evidence submitted by the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management
This evidence is submitted by members of the Institute who are mainly recently retired senior police officers
with experience of policing disorders and other major incidents.
The role of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary (HMIC) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)/National Policing Improvement
Agency (NPIA) public order guidance
1. In the case of the G20 Protests, there were at least five reports, not including those originating from IPCC,
all of which made recommendations about the way the police should deal with protest. These included one
from the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee,(1) one from House of Lords/House of Commons Joint
Committee on Human Rights,(2) one from the Metropolitan Police Authority(3) and two from Her Majesty’s
Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC).(4 & 5) In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
(HMIC) has produced a follow-up report which reports on a review of progress against the recommendations
arising from the first two reports(6) and the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) have updated the
Manual of Guidance on Keeping the Peace, on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and
the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS).(7)
2. Any debate on the ability of the police to deal with large-scale disorder should make reference to police
doctrine and the principles of policing that were originally laid down by Sir Robert Peel and have subsequently
evolved through Lord Scarman’s 1985 report on Brixton. Unfortunately, recent material originating both from
HMIC and, more particularly the NPIA on behalf of ACPO shows a lack of understanding about both doctrine
and principles. The last occasion that the Fundamental Principles of Policing were discussed in any detail was
in the 1980s.(8) The general consensus at that time was that there were four fundamental principles:
— The Principle of Prevention.
— The Principle of Consent and Balance.(9)
— The Principle of Independence and Accountability.
— The Principle of Minimum Force.
Pike mentioned a fifth, the Principle of Discretion(10) but it is suggested that discretion is one of the ways
of ensuring Consent and Balance.
3. There has been no real debate on the Principles of Policing since then and it is suggested that police
doctrine remains an ill-defined, poorly understood and, to many, a confusing subject in spite of its considerable
importance. It has been suggested that “the police service of the twenty-first century needs to recognise and
declare its doctrine, in the sense of a recognised body of knowledge and an authoritative set of principles, in
order to achieve its appropriate standing as a profession and fulfil its proper role in society.”(11) The Committee
may wish to seek further evidence on this point.
Examples of confusion over doctrine, principles, and between strategy and tactics
4. Confusion exists over police doctrine and principles, and between strategy and tactics, particularly as they
apply to the policing of large-scale disorder.
5. The HMCIC G20 Review Report, “Adapting to Protest”, refers to principles on a number of occasions
and indeed appears to introduce a new one, The Principle of Proportionality.(12) Preliminary research fails to
reveal this latest one in any list of generally accepted Principles of Policing but it is accepted that, in certain
circumstances, principles must change if they are to stay current.