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Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats:Covering the constituencies of Twickenham and Richmond Park |
Baker and Howarth quiz Coaker on the Kingsnorth Climate Camp
October 29, 2008 9:19 PM
• [Oct 27]: Norman Baker (Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Transport; Lewes, Liberal Democrat): If she will investigate the policing of the Kingsnorth climate camp; and if she will make a statement.
Vernon Coaker (Minister of State (Policing, Crime & Security), Home Office; Gedling, Labour) : Tactics and strategy on policing major events such as the Kingsnorth climate camp are operational matters for the local chief officer.
Norman Baker (Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Transport; Lewes, Liberal Democrat) : I regard myself as a supporter of the police, but I cannot condone what I witnessed when I arrived at Kingsnorth. I think that I was the first MP to do so. I witnessed unnecessarily aggressive policing, unprovoked violence against peaceful protestors, an extraordinary number of police on site and tactics such as confiscating toilet rolls, board games and clown costumes from what I saw to be peaceful demonstrators. In the light of what I saw, and of what other MPs witnessed, will the Minister arrange for an independent inquiry into the matter, conducted by either the Independent Police Complaints Commission or by a different police force?
Vernon Coaker (Minister of State (Policing, Crime & Security), Home Office; Gedling, Labour) : As the hon. Gentleman will know, the IPCC is available, as an independent body, to look into any complaints that are made about the police and the way in which they have conducted themselves. I hope that he has made the comments that he has made here to Kent police so that they can be investigated. If he feels that that process is unsatisfactory, he knows that it can then be taken to the IPCC. I would have thought that that would be the appropriate way forward. Notwithstanding the points that he has just made, 70 police officers were also hurt-although none seriously-at that protest.
• . . David Howarth (Shadow Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice; Cambridge, Liberal Democrat) : I hope that the Minister will be able to confirm that despite what he said about injuries, no protestor has been convicted of any crime of violence at any of the climate camps. It is not just the IPCC that has jurisdiction over the matter, because the Government are offering to pay half the £5.9 million cost of policing. Given what the Minister has just said about peaceful protest, will he assure the House that every Government Department that has been in contact with the police over the policing of the climate camps has given absolute priority to the right of peaceful protest?
Vernon Coaker (Minister of State (Policing, Crime & Security), Home Office; Gedling, Labour) : I can only repeat that the right of peaceful protest in this country is absolute. The hon. Gentleman mentioned people being charged and so on; 100 people were arrested and, of those, 46 were charged with offences ranging from obstruction and public order offences to possession of a bladed weapon. Of course, the Government will consider representations made to them, but as I say, I think that police have acted appropriately and proportionately in this case.
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