Policing, U.K. style

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Scene from the G20 protest, London, April 2, 2009

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G20 woman protester shocked by policeman's 'slap'

April 15, 2009 -- A woman left covered in bruises after apparently being slapped in the face by a police sergeant at the vigil of Ian Tomlinson says she is shocked by the incident.

The Metropolitan police last night suspended the sergeant involved, a member of the Territorial Support Group. He had concealed his badge number before lashing out at the woman with his baton at the memorial protest on 2 April, the day after newspaper seller Tomlinson collapsed and died after apparently being assaulted by police.

The woman, Nicky, who is from Brighton, said: "I'm shocked at the way the police treated me."

She also expressed thanks to Tristan Woodwards, the 25-year-old IT assistant who filmed the incident and passed his evidence to the Guardian after uploading it onto Youtube. "I just want to thank the guy who took that video," she said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission announced it would investigate the alleged attack, although the woman has said she has yet to make a formal complaint.

However, after returning from the vigil at the Bank of England, her family took photographs of her injuries and she is believed to have a medical report.

The footage and series of photographs appear to show the sergeant hitting Nicky across the face with the back of his hand, and saying: "Go away."

Nicky, clutching a carton of orange juice and digital camera, remonstrates with the officer and can be heard swearing. The sergeant is then seen drawing a baton from his pocket and striking her on her legs.

The footage is not clear, but Nicky appears to fall to the ground. The crowd erupts angrily with chants of "shame on you".

Her sister, Natalie Thomson, said: "We've been watching the news and it has turned into such a big story now. I was shocked when all the bruising came up. She was struck at least twice with his baton. She went there as a peaceful protester. She has no criminal record and she has been assaulted."

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G20 protest videos:
Growing catalogue of evidence against police

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G20: Third Met officer investigated over assault against a woman

June 9, 2009 -- A third Metropolitan police officer is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a woman at the G20 protests, the official police watchdog announced today .

The woman claims she was attacked on 1 April by an officer at the Climate Camp protest, a largely peaceful demonstration lines of riot police charged with batons.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a statement that the complaint related to "an incident that occured ... while a group of people were held in an alleyway".

Although the details of the woman's complaint are not known, video footage from the Climate Camp showed police charging hundreds protesters in an attempt to clear the streets. The demonstrators resisted passively, holding their arms in the air and chanting, "This is not a riot."

The IPCC said it had received more than 270 complaints about the actions of officers during the demonstrations, in City of London. Of those, 131 were deemed eligible for investigation, and 52 related to allegations of "excessive force with reported injuries".

The IPCC launched full and independent investigations into five incidents, including the criminal inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper vendor who died of internal bleeding after being hit and pushed to the floor by an officer from the Met's Territorial Support Group (TSG).

The officer, who had covered his badge number, has been suspended and questioned under caution for manslaughter. In a separate IPCC inquiry, the Met and City of London press offices are under investigation over complaints that they deliberately misled the public over Tomlinson's death.

The other full IPCC investigations all relate to alleged assaults by police officers against women, including Nicola Fisher, 35, who was slapped across the face and struck on the legs by a TSG sergeant who had covered up his badge number.

A further 78 separate G20 complaints related to police tactics have been passed to Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, which is conducting a national review of tactics used to police protests. It is expected to release interim findings by the end of the month.

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Metropolitan police's 'kettling' tactic challenged in European court

July 19, 2009 -- The Metropolitan police's controversial tactic of containing large numbers of protesters against their will, known as "kettling", will be challenged in a case lodged tomorrow with the European Court of Human Rights that claims the practice is a fundamental breach of liberty. The case is being brought by Lois Austin, one of about 3,000 anti-globalisation demonstrators corralled by police at Oxford Circus in May 2001, the first major protest where the tactic was used. Protesters were held there for several hours without access to water or toilet facilities and Austin, a peaceful demonstrator, was prevented from collecting her 11-month old baby from a creche.

The Met used the tactic extensively at April's G20 demonstrations in the City of London, placing tight cordons around protesters who gathered at the Bank of England and in nearby Bishopsgate. Austin, 40, an administrator from London, has fought an eight-year legal battle against the Met, seeking compensation for what she claims was her unlawful imprisonment. In January, the law lords ruled that the Met had been acting lawfully in containing Austin and other peaceful protests because doing so was necessary to control some elements within the crowd who were committing violence. The law lords said theirs was a "pragmatic approach" that took into account the reason police decided to contain the demonstrators. However, for containment to be lawful, they ruled police must use the tactic in good faith, proportionately and for no longer than is necessary.

Recently, it emerged that Met commanders at the G20 were unaware of their legal obligations in the Austin ruling. They also appear to have authorised containing protesters from the outset, and before there had been any significant cases of violence from people. Bindmans solicitors, which represents Climate Camp activists, has made a separate application to challenge the Met's kettling of protesters at Bishopsgate in a high court judicial review.

The Met's containment policy at the G20 also contributed to events surrounding the death of newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson, who was prevented from passing three police cordons as he tried to find a route home from work. He died after being attacked from behind by a police officer. "It saddens me to say that it took the tragic death of Ian Tomlinson to throw light on police tactics," said Austin, who believes there has been a "mood change" since her case was first heard at the high court in 2005.

Austin's solicitors, Christian Khan, say their client's case was hampered by highly prejudicial findings by the judge in that case, Mr Justice Tugendhat. He found that as many as 40% of the crowd inside the kettle were hostile and, he said, Austin should have known before attending the protest that it was likely to end in serious violence. Tugendhat said that even though Austin was held in cold rain and prevented from collecting her child, who she was breastfeeding, the experience had not significantly distressed her.

However, in today's ECHR application, Austin's lawyers focus on what they believe was an inappropriate "manipulation" of law in January's ruling, which they said should not have considered police's purpose in holding demonstrators when deciding whether Article 5, an absolute right to liberty, was engaged.

A second application to the ECHR is also being made by a bystander who found himself caught up in the Oxford Circus kettle. George Black, 60, who is represented by Liberty, claims he was swept inside police cordons as he was trying to walk to a nearby bookshop.