Communication with the police
ItWe mayrecommend discussing your action with the Protest Liaison team.
They will be usefulable to talkadvise options in terms of whether to thecommunicate with eth police duringbeforehand or inonce advance,an especiallyaction ifhas started.
Remember, we never ask for permission. In some situations it is aadvisable largeto disruptiveinform action.authorities Thinkof aboutour howplanned actions as this reduces the police might interpret this action and speak to them before and during an action (once it is in the public realm, if it is.) Giving them the maximum information possible alleviates tension and stress and means they can plan to police the action proportionately. Keep in mind that in the long run, we want a loyalty shift from the police, and they have children too.
Tell them it’s a protest and what it’s about – NOT an ‘event’, etc. – this is important legally.Focus on the common groundlikelyhood ofprioritising'overpublicpolicing'.safety and show we are well organised in thinking about stewarding, alternative traffic routes etc.Don’t identify any organisers: The contact person is a liaison not an organiser. Explain that the group or protest would need to make decisions collectively in response to police requests and that you cannot control the protest: individuals do as they wish. Any named organiser or leader risks a different set of legal charges. It’s OK if its obvious who co-ordinators are, so long as they aren’t named or self-admit.Reassure them that, on the day, you will be available to keep an open line of com- munication and they can trust us to do what we have told them – and stick to timings!Remind them that this is a strictly non-violent organisation and we want to have a respectful relationship with the police, and everyone elseWe respect that they have a job to keep the public safe and we will try to help with that.We are not asking for permission but informing them.