Key Facts

• The Committee will meet at specified times on June 9, 14, 16, and 21.
• Witnesses include the National Police Chiefs’ Council, High Speed 2 (HS2) Limited, United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association, Adam Wagner from Doughty Street Chambers, News UK, Sir Peter Martin Fahy QPM, Matt Parr CB, Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby, Amnesty International, Justice, and Liberty.
• The proceedings will conclude on June 21 at 5:00 pm.
• Police training is licensed through the College of Policing and includes command training at gold, silver, and bronze levels.
• Training involves initial comprehensive training, annual professional development, and re-accreditation.
• The Public Order Act 1986 allows for conditions to be applied under sections 12 and 14.
• Powers are used rarely to ban protests; more often, they involve communication and engagement with protesters.
• Injunctions have been used increasingly frequently but need to be framed appropriately.
• Consultations began as early as 2019 on the adequacy of public order powers.
• The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 includes bespoke powers related to public order.
• HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report from Matt Parr in 2019 made non-legislative recommendations for training, resources, and intelligence gathering.
• The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 code A applies to stop and search.
• Serious disruption prevention orders will have a high threshold for persistent and reckless offenders.
• Social media can help in understanding public sentiment but also poses challenges due to private group conversations.
• The cost of resourcing tunnelling operations by the police is estimated at around £80,000 per day.
• There are two or three gold command level officers trained or about to be trained, with a dozen silver-level and several dozen bronze-level officers.
• Training for specialist roles can take up to two or three weeks annually, while general public order training takes two to three days.
• The Public Order Bill aims to address challenges in protest policing.
• There is concern about potential shifts from public realm protest policing into private spaces, which could significantly impact local policing models and funding.
• Assessments by NPoCC are ongoing regarding the impact of legislation changes on mutual aid across different jurisdictions.
• John Groves is the Chief Security and Resilience Officer at HS2 Ltd.
• Nicola Bell is the Regional Director South East at National Highways.
• HS2 has applied for a route-wide injunction which can take two to three months to process.
• National Highways oversees approximately 4,500 miles of motorway and A roads.
• Over 30 protests occurred across 15 locations over two months from September to November last year.
• Four injunctions were granted, leading to committal proceedings for 34 defendants with sentences ranging from 24 days to six months imprisonment or suspended sentences.
• HS2 has recorded 1,600 incidents of unlawful activity since the end of 2017 including trespass and violence against staff and contractors.
• Injunctions require a lower standard of proof but are an elongated process compared to criminal charges.
• Maximum sentence under an injunction is two years with a significant fine at the judge's discretion.
• Obstruction of highway carries a maximum level 3 fine up to £1,000.
• Protests on highways can cause significant economic impacts; one protest caused 4 km of slow-moving traffic and another resulted in road closures for several hours around Dover.
• Protesters are breaking the law but do not see it as significant deterrent.
• Access to sites has been delayed for about eight hours due to protests.
• Police seek balance between lawful protest rights and landowner rights.
• Four people in a tunnel is considered a serious safety concern.
• Protestors have turned to tunnelling more readily, with four shafts on one piece of land.
• Dover has seen several incidents where protestors glued themselves to tankers and closed down the port and strategic roads.
• 80% of domestic freight uses road transport.
• Most goods come in and out through the Port of Dover using M20, A20, and A2 roads.
• About three quarters of protesters lock on after sitting down when police arrive.
• Police face safety risks and delays trying to de-bond protesters glued to roads.
• Protesters have subjected security teams to verbal abuse.
• HS2 contractors invest more in physical security due to protests.
• The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 includes changes to protesting laws, such as imprisonment for obstruction of a highway up to six months.
• The direct costs of protester activity to the taxpayer up to March end were £126 million.
• By the end of next year, these costs could reach a worst-case scenario of £200 million.
• The introduction of tunnelling amendment is viewed positively by Mr. Groves.