Assistant Chief Constable David Gardner has provided an update following protests in Kingsbury today

“It has been another busy day for the force with 32 arrests being made in connection with the ongoing protests in Kingsbury.

 

“While we will always respect the right to peaceful protest we continue to take action against those who choose to act outside the law.

 

“I would like to reassure local people that we are making every effort to limit the impact on day-to-day policing across the rest of the county.

 

“As you would expect, we have contingency plans in place to deal with situations such as this. Our officers are flexible in such circumstances and we also have prearranged plans in place to call on support from local forces.

 

“I’d like to thank the local community for their ongoing patience while we deal with this situation; while it has clearly attracted a lot of publicity, I’m pleased that disruption to the local community and local road network has been kept to a minimum.

 

“While we aim to clear disruption as quickly as possible we need to ensure the safety of everyone at the site so this can take time.

 

“I’d like to thank all the officers involved in managing these protests. It’s not just the officers on the front line in Kingsbury, there is also increased demand on our custody teams, and on our investigation teams who are carrying out enquiries into more than 100 alleged offences since protests started on Friday.

 

“I’d especially like to recognise officers who had their rest days cancelled at short notice in order to ensure we manage the protests and provide day-to-day policing for the rest of the county.

 

“We’ll continue to maintain a presence at the site and ensure there are consequence for anyone breaking the law and significantly impacting on the lives and livelihoods of others.”

 

Issued: SJC, Corporate Communications