TWO TIER POLICING: Donna Jones says Gosport protests are diverting officers from 999 response duties

UK News TWO TIER POLICING Donna Jones says Gosport protests are diverting officers from 999 response duties Peter Norman Anti-migrant protests in Gosport are diverting police officers away from 999 response and neighbourhood duties, Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has warned.

Donna Jones said around 200 officers from seven forces had been deployed to manage recent demonstrations linked to migrant arrivals in Gosport.

She claimed some of those officers would otherwise have been working on emergency response or neighbourhood policing teams.

In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Jones described the level of abstraction from normal policing as “unsustainable”.

“Hundreds of police officers were down in Gosport yesterday and into the night.

“They weren’t then responding to 999 calls and doing what we need them to do.

“Some of those officers would have been scheduled to work in 999 response teams, in neighbourhood policing teams.

“Instead, because they have a skill of being public order officers, they have been taken off their normal jobs and put on public order.

“It is creating vulnerability for victims in other areas of the county.”

She said officers had been drafted in from other forces including Kent, the Metropolitan Police, Sussex, Surrey, Thames Valley and Dorset.

Jones also claimed each major protest was costing Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary at least £150,000 to police.

Around 350 people gathered in Gosport on Sunday, October 4 after people were brought ashore following a small boat crossing of the English Channel.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said 12 arrests were made during the public order operation.

Police used a range of public order powers and said a small number of officers were treated for injuries at the scene, although nobody was seriously injured.

One man, Jamie Lee Bennett, 38, of Thyme Avenue, Whiteley, was subsequently charged with failing to comply with a prohibited assembly direction.

He has been bailed to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on November 26.

Jones also questioned the use of RNLI lifeboats in operations involving migrant arrivals.

She argued that Border Force should have its own suitable vessels available and said the Government should take greater control of maritime operations.

The RNLI is an independent charity whose primary role is saving lives at sea, while Border Force, police and other agencies are responsible for immigration enforcement and public order.

Police said officers were deployed to Gosport to support partner agencies, maintain public safety and facilitate peaceful protest.

The latest protest followed the arrival of people who were subsequently transported out of Hampshire for processing.

The Home Office has said those brought ashore are subject to health, security and immigration checks as part of the normal process.

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