The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, has asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O’Conor, to conduct a review of the policing of public events. It follows the suspension of the officer seen in this footage assaulting a woman outside the Bank of England at the vigil to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson (the officer who attacked Tomlinson has already been suspended). Stephenson said he wants a review of “containment” (i.e the practice of "kettling" protestors which you can read my thoughts on here) so as to be “reassured that the use of this tactic remains appropriate and proportionate”. He said that officers should wear shoulder ID badges at all times so as to be clearly identifiable, following reports that some officers had them covered during the G20 operation. There may also be further investigations of assault as Stephenson says he wants the footage taken by forward intelligence teams to be “reviewed to identify any other matters of individual police conduct that may warrant investigation."
Let us hope that any incriminating evidence hasn’t already been "accidentally" deleted or mislaid by police as they trawl through the footage from their 83 cameras in the proces of adding the profiles of peaceful and non-peaceful demonstrators alike to their illegal intelligence database. The Met, who, let’s remember, initially hailed the policing of the G20 protests as a great success along with Jacqui Smith, came under pressure to launch a review following the tenacious work of investigation and exposure by the Guardian (esp Paul Lewis) and hundreds of citizen journalists, bloggers and campaigners. None of the footage proving police violence comes from official sources or cameras. Instead, as Craig Murray points out, "we have a series of contradictory lies about whether official camers were not there, not working or had just nipped off to the loo, at the moments police violence was captured by amateurs." If it hadn’t been for so many protesters and passers by filming the police’s actions on their cameras and mobile phones it’s a safe bet this review wouldn’t be happening and the Met’s story, regurgitated by a compliant media, would have gone unchallenged. It’s no wonder the police want to ban us taking photos of them.
What we need now is a sustained campaign of public pressure to ensure this review doesn't become another whitewash and that all allegations of police assault are independetly investigated. Beyond that we need a change of culture amongst the police who need to understand they are here to protect and facilitate peaceful protest, not destroy it. This can only be achieved through change at the very top; by the government rejecting state authoritarianism and delivering on its professed commitment to the democratic right to protest.
