Motorways are very dangerous places and our priority is to ensure public safety as well as the safety of officers and protestors. The awful incident in Essex today where an officer has been injured underlines this. Our officers are facing very challenging circumstances and have been instructed to act as quickly as they can, using their professional judgement, to clear any possible protestors in order to get roads up and running and to prevent anyone from coming to harm. However, Chief Constable Charlie Hall recognises the concerns over the recent arrests of journalists who arrived at these locations and have been present with the protestors at the scenes. Additional measures are now in place to ensure that legitimate media are able to do their job. In addition, Mr Hall is today requesting an independent force to examine our approach to these arrests and to identify any learning we should take in managing these challenging situations.
