South Wales Police has admitted restricting the movements of anti-fascist supporters during a march by the English Defence League (EDL) following an internal inquiry prompted by Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.
The force had initially denied using detainment tactics on June 5th of this year and issued statements to the press contradicting an account given by the South Wales Central AM in which she criticised policing tactics on the day.
Part of the criticism was directed at the decision to briefly detain anti-fascist supporters in an area ringed by a steel barrier at one end and a line of police officers at the opposite end between Cardiff Crown Court and City Hall.
In subsequent media reports, the force denied using this tactic, saying: “We would…..like to highlight that officers at no stage used containment tactics often referred to as ‘kettling’. Clear exits were provided and made available to individuals at all times and we went to great lengths to communicate this to demonstrators.”
After Ms Wood wrote to the force asking them to rectify the misinformation in press reports, South Wales Police decided to treat the issue as an official complaint.
Following the investigation, South Wales Police admitted “…officers at the scene did use some limited containment of UAF (Unite Against Fascism) demonstrators, which they believed was for sound operational reasons.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Osborne, who handled the complaint, added in a letter to Ms Wood: “Additionally I can confirm that the use of those tactics was not part of the strategic plan but were implemented by a supervising officer at the scene who was reacting to a situation that was unfolding in front of him.
“I have also been able to identify that whilst the officer attempted to inform the relevant bronze commander the message was not received due to the fast moving events that were ongoing.
“The ‘knock on’ effect of this was that South Wales Police PRO were unaware of the use of this tactic when releasing information to the media, thus stating that this tactic was not used when in fact it was.”
He adds: “At this time it is my belief that no individual officer has committed any breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour as I can find no evidence of any individual wrongdoing.
“I intend however to use the results of my investigation and ensure that South Wales Police learn from this experience and on future occasions ensure that the lines of communication are reviewed and improved.”
Mr Osborne finishes by saying the ‘complaint’ has been upheld.
Ms Wood, who spoke during the anti-fascist demonstration which was held to counter the EDL, said: “South Wales Police has now finally acknowledged they used detainment tactics against anti-fascist supporters on the day.
“While I accept their reasons for issuing a denial to the media, I find it surprising that a decision to contain a large number of people, for more than an hour, was not conveyed to the senior officer in charge of police operations on the day.”
Ms Wood and her Plaid Cymru colleagues have regularly called for the responsibilities over the police force, probation, prisons and courts in Wales to be devolved to the Assembly Government.
Ms Wood added: “I am of the view that the use of containment tactics against the counter-protestors was unnecessary. Such decisions should not only be communicated to the senior officer in charge, but should be made by him or her.
“A decision to restrict people’s liberty should not be taken lightly. I could see no reason why a group of anti-fascist supporters, who had gathered peacefully to oppose the divisive and hate-filled politics of the EDL, should be treated in this way.
“I intend to write again to the Social Justice minister at the Welsh Assembly, Carl Sargeant, to ask his views on the matter again, in light of this new information.
“I hope that he will agree with me that there are definitely lessons to be learnt from this episode.”
