PROTEST REGRET
Top cop admits making major mistakes handling pro-Palestine marches as cost of policing them hit £42.9million
Pro-Palestine protests were held every week in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people
A POLICE chief has admitted major mistakes were made handling pro-Palestine marches.
The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist also conceded that a protester shouting “jihad” should have been arrested sooner.
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His comments come as a hard-hitting report by Policy Exchange highlights how police, prosecutors and the courts have failed to prioritise the rights of the public over disruptive demonstrators.
Mr Twist said: “When we look back at the policing of protests over the last eight months, we know we didn’t get everything right — particularly in the early stages in October.
“On occasion we did not move quickly to make arrests, for example, of the man chanting for ‘jihad’.
"That was a decision made following advice from lawyers and the CPS.
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“We are now much more focused on identifying reasonable grounds for arrest, acting where needed, and then investigating.
"It’s very likely arrests would be made more quickly.”
Pro-Palestine protests were held every week in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 people and saw 240 taken hostage on October 7, 2023.
Figures show £42.9million was spent on policing protests in London between last October and June.
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Mr Twist has also hit back at accusations of two-tier policing in how officers dealt with pro-Palestine protests and those held by the far-right.
He said: “We base policing tactics on the threat, harm and risk based on the information and intelligence available to us.”
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