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Police must review anti-migrant protests, PM says

News imageRemco van Schellen A large group of people dressed in dark clothing are walking across a road junction in Dover. Several police officers wearing high-visibility jackets are positioned among the crowd. Road signs in the centre of the image point towards London, the Channel Tunnel, Folkestone, Dover town centre and cruise terminals. White cliffs rise behind a row of seafront buildings in the background, under a clear blue sky.Remco van Schellen
Masked activists brought Dover to a standstill during an anti-migrant protest

Police should urgently consider whether more could have been done in response to anti-migrant protests in Dover and Portsmouth, Downing Street has said.

Masked activists brought Dover to a standstill on Saturday and a further protest took place in Portsmouth on Sunday where about 200 people tried to block migrants being driven away for processing.

Kent Police had described the Dover event as a "spontaneous" protest, but questions were later raised after the force said information received the evening before "was not fully assessed".

The prime minister's official spokesman said police should review whether they could have acted on available intelligence and used a wider range of tactics.

Meanwhile, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is investigating allegations of assaults on officers and criminal damage following the Portsmouth protest.

News imageRemco van Schellen Several people wearing dark clothing, face coverings and hoods stand on a roadway near the port area in Dover. A large red lorry is parked directly behind the group, with additional people visible nearby on the pavement. Metal barriers, road signs, parked vehicles and port infrastructure can be seen in the background.Remco van Schellen
The demo later prompted questions about the police response

The prime minister's spokesman said: "I think it's right that police urgently consider whether more could have been done to act on available intelligence and deploy a wider range of tactics to provide a more reassuring response for the public.

"Forces have been clear, they'll be rightly learning from any lessons identified following the event, and ministers continue to engage to get reassurance on that issue."

News imageRemco van Schellen Several police officers wearing high-visibility jackets walk towards a group of people dressed in dark clothing and face coverings on a road in Dover. Some of the people are standing while one person is seated on the ground. A white van and a large lorry are stopped behind the group, with additional vehicles visible nearby. Buildings, railings and roadside vegetation can be seen in the background.Remco van Schellen
Police said the only offence being investigated was damage to a road

After the protest took place in Dover, Kent Police said officers had made no arrests and Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Brookes said the only offence the force was investigating was criminal damage to a road.

However, on Tuesday, it emerged Kent Police had been made aware of the potential for protests in Dover the day before.

Members of the public had tried to tip off the force about the presence of a large number of activists in the county.

The anti-racism group Hope Not Hate said villagers in Preston-next-Wingham contacted police to say activists had swamped the area.

Campaigners said police were told by one person that they had called counter-terrorism police and 999 to report hearing someone talking about attacking Muslims.

News imageRemco van Schellen A group of people dressed predominantly in dark clothing, including hoods and face coverings, stand in a car park and roadway area near Dover's seafront. Several people are lined up beside parked vehicles, while smaller groups stand further away in the background. A row of white seafront buildings sits below the White Cliffs of Dover, which dominate the background of the image. Cars and motorcycles are parked nearby, and long shadows stretch across the road.Remco van Schellen
Kent Police has asked the College of Policing to carry out a review

On Tuesday, Kent Police said: "We found the force had received non-emergency information late on Friday evening that a protest could take place in the town the following day.

"This information was not fully assessed. If it was, it may have allowed the force to consider its resourcing.

"However, this information would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community."

Kent Police has asked the College of Policing to carry out a review of its handling of the event.

Demonstrations against immigration are common in Dover, which is where migrants picked up from small boats in the English Channel are brought to shore.

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