Tea yes, kettling no!

Lot's of reports from across the blogosphere about excessive and aggressive policing (again!) at yesterday's G20 demos. Disappointing, but not particularly surprising. It seems lessons haven't been learnt from the policing of last year's Climate Camp at Kingsnorth.

I was there in spirit, but had decided to stay home and catch up on my backlog of casework and other Council stuff. However, fellow Green councillor for neighbouring Brockley ward, Romayne Phoenix, was there, and experienced first hand police tactics, including 'kettling', where the police surround a crowd of protestors and don't let anyone come or go for a few hours until the crowd either starts to get so angry that surge forward and push their way through the police lines (cue headline about violent protestors at demo), or they are eventually allowed to trickle out once the police deem them to be thoroughly demoralised and to have learnt a lesson for daring to exercise their democratic right to protest. A potentially effective way to turn a bunch of peaceful protestors into an angry mob, if that's the headline you want (though the vast majority of protestors refused to oblige the police with any violence yesterday).

Kettling is a very dodgy way to police a peaceful protest, in my opinion, as is using anti-terrorism legislation to check the ID of every protestor before you let them leave. Sadly, a man died at the protest yesterday - the IPCC are investigating and the cause is not yet known, but the media have been strangely quiet about it. Green London Assembly member and member of the Metropolitan Police Association, Jenny Jones, will no doubt be raising concerns about policing tactics with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson.

Anyway, account of the protests from Romayne below:
Picture: Romayne with fellow Green Shasha Khan, from Croydon.
"In 31 years of active participation in peaceful street demonstrations I have NEVER before been close to the threat of being 'kettled' in ( trapped ) by police. This tactic has more often been used at stages much later in the day after the majority of protesters have left, and when small groups seem determined to continue with their actions, and possibly a few of these who could have plans to develop their actions beyond the lines supported by the demonstrators of the day.

We started the day by joining others, from many different groups and charities, at Liverpool Street Station. The 'street theatre' plan was for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to march from different locations towards Bank. Each horse representing a different threat - War, Climate Change, Financial Crimes, and Land Enclosures. Each was assigned a separate colour. We joined in with the Climate Change group, headed by a Green Horseman.

Many people were in fancy dress costumes, others with elaborate face paints, some with craftsmanlike banners and flags and others with moving, witty or plainly stated quickly concocted creations. The atmosphere was relaxed and the sunshine brought out a festive feel to the affair. With a few odd halts along the way, we at last reached the area of the Bank of England where others had also arrived from their separate journeys.

Planning to leave the area of the Bank of England, with a few friends, having made our peaceful protests for about an hour, we headed towards Queen Victoria Street, only to be met at a fork in the road by a solid line of police. Beyond them was a space and we could see two further roads where police lines were 'containing' other crowds of people, just as determined as us to leave . It was very warm, bright and sunny and it was lunchtime. As we became further 'herded' together the police seemed to sip from their water bottles in a very provocative manner. Someone was heard saying that the police had declared that they were paid to work through the night in reply to her question as to when we all might be allowed to leave.

We were told that our detention was due to their anticipation of a breach of the peace. Legal advice sought while we stood held against our will, confirmed that such a threat of breach of the peace was a valid power that the police could use. Supposedly, as soon as such a threat has passed then people should be released. In our 'pen' the mood was fairly stoical / calm and we kept ourselves amused as best we could.

As time pressed on I made several challenges to the police about our civil liberties/ about methods they could use to plan an orderly exit using the helicopter views and their ground forces / about the lack of any actual breach of the peace in view / earshot of any of the hundreds of people so trapped in this particular road. On one occasion a senior officer was contacted to answer my concerns but as he came towards the line he simply 'whispered' to an officer and retreated. We were then told that we were to be held. Told that we would be held until they said so.

If anyone had actually been arrested they would have been entitled to water , food and the use of a toilet. After being detained for a couple of hours, and having arrived an hour or so before that, with no estimate as to the duration of our further detainment, this treatment of very peaceful people certainly seemed to be a provocative police action and not an 'intelligent' use of police or an acceptable set of tactics. Added to this, at various intervals we could see riot police, in full kit, rushing out of their vans , causing some panic and consternation in the hitherto still and mostly silent crowds. Just as suddenly the riot police seemed to retreat back to their vehicles. Was the agitation of the crowds the essential factor in justifying the fears of 'breach of the peace' ?

Being at the front of the crowd I did on a few occasions make calls for our civil liberties, listing some of the important responsibilities that these individual people had the need and the right to carry out ( child care , jobs, care of relatives, simply choosing where to spend their time, or preparing and heading for the AGM of their local council........). These seemed to go down well and at least broke some of the boredom factor of the situation.

On two occasions I saw an individual attempting to demand their freedom by walking 'through' the police line. This action resulted in a very aggressive response each time with four or five police officers to tackle the individual to the ground.

Eventually, when a group of people pushed forward together they broke the line of police in front of us. There was a sudden movement of bodies that could have resulted n a crush, but people were mindful of each other and no-one fell under foot. The impetus was however 'forward', and as I made my way to the edge of the crowd I could see that the police line had collapsed and individual officers were standing alone looking lost and without a plan. Continuing to walk on, the crowds dispersed. Peacefully.

I returned to find friends and colleagues as we had become separated in the surge. As we prepared to leave we could see others still being trapped in at the far end of the road. We decided to turn down a side street. Calmly we walked to the tube station. Free once more. For now.

Is this a taste of things to come ?
What is the point of having so much surveillance and yet failing to make proper use of any of it? We need to challenge these counter-productive and unacceptable police tactics now."

Ladywell Police stepping up patrols in Dressington Avenue

Local residents may have read in the South London Press about a recent incident outside Abbey Manor College in Dressington Avenue in which a pupil was slashed with a knife. The Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood team have said that they have increased patrols in the area around school time. There have also discussed security issues with the headteacher and plan to go and speak to pupils about the effects and dangers of knife crime soon.

I thought I would mention that this has happened, and that the local police are taking steps to try and prevent it happening again, but I don't want people to be unduly alarmed, as Ladywell is generally a safe place to live and has one of the lower crime rates in the borough. While there have been recent spates of burglary and car crime and incidents of pirate DVD making in the ward (and suspects have been arrested for these), violent crime has generally been low.

Climate Rush - 100 years on from the Suffragettes

Well done to local Green Party member Andrea Hughes who took part in the Climate Rush protest at Westminster today - hundreds of women dressed in Victorian outfits marking the one hundredth anniversary of the suffragettes rush and calling for government action not just words on climate change. I had very much hoped to join her but had to be at a meeting locally.

Boos to the police who pushed Andrea around and left her with bruised ribs - she's 61 years old, volunteers for a number of local projects in Lewisham including the Time Bank and Green Gym and really isn't a great threat to national security for goodness sake - bashing pensioners about was not in the police job description last time I looked.

The protest comes just days after the approval of the Stansted and City Airport expansions undermined for many green activists any remnants of credibility the government may have had with regards to its commitment to curbing carbon emissions. If the government continues in this way, it shouldn't be surprised if an increasing number of generally law-abiding citizens turn to more militant methods of protest, much as the suffragettes had to do.

Lewisham Greens at Kingsnorth Protest

Pictured: Lewisham and Greenwich Greens outside Kingsnorth Power Station

Last Sunday I took part in the march from Rochester to Kingsnorth Power Station to oppose E.On's plans to build a massive new power station on the site. I met a number of other people from Greenwich and Lewisham there, and there was a strong showing of Green Party members from across the country. The march heralded the start of Climate Camp, which culminated in a mass action to shut down the power station today.

The government and E.On's media spin doctors have been out in force, but Climate Camp activists are pretty effective at getting their story across too. If built, Kingsnorth will emit between 6 and 8 million tons of CO2 every year, which is even more than the proposed third runway at Heathrow would produce and would seriously undermine any other efforts we might make to cut carbon emissions.

Political Policing
A lot of media attention has focussed on the policing and the politics behind it. After I attended the march I headed for the climate camp. I wasn't planning to stay long, as I had to go to work the next day. I just wanted to pop in, take a look, meet a few friends and spend an hour or so there. So I set off on my bike from Kingsnorth to the climate camp.

As I got within about half a mile of the camp, I met some fellow London Greens heading back, also on bikes. The police were searching everyone before letting them into the camp and seizing all bike locks. We could kind of see why they might want to seize d-locks from a group of people who were open about their intentions to carry out direct action, so thought fair enough, we'll lock our bikes up here and walk down to the camp.

Before we had managed to do that, a police van pulled up and warned us that if we tried to lock our bikes there, the locks would be cut and the bikes taken. So we asked if we could lock just the locks there and take our bikes with us to the camp. Nope. In the end we took our chances and joined the queue to be searched. Just like queuing for the toilets in a nightclub, the queue for women to be searched was much longer than the queue for men, highlighting the gender inbalance in the police force. The reason they gave for searching me was for 'items for criminal damage'. Funnily enough, they didn't find anything. After much debate the police officer who searched me relented and let me lock my bike to a fence, while the person I was with hid his lock in a hedge and retrieved it later. Fortunately, when I returned after an hour it was still there, though other cyclists were less lucky - clearly us cyclists are a big terrorist threat, especially compared to climate criminals like E.On.

The policing of the whole event has been excessive, political and oppressive, not to mention a waste of £3m of public funds. Police have confiscated all sorts of innocuous items from protestors, ranging from soap and kid's crayons to an ironing board as activists on the video below outlines.



Today a fellow Green was arrested and detained for 5 hours for possession of vitamin c tablets - clearly a big threat to national security and justified use of draconian police powers, not. Met officers whose time would better have been spent dealing with genuine crime on our streets were also drafted in to intimidate protestors. Many of the officers on duty looked frankly embarassed at the orders they were given. Politicians from across the political spectrum have been critical of the policing of this event and rightly so.

I don't buy the 'all police are corrupt' line and at a local level I have worked closely with the Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood team on various issues. However, the actions and behaviour of the police at Climate Camp over the past week have made me deeply cynical, and all the more determined to exercise my democratic right to protest in the future.

Response to Lewisham Police Consultation

Below, for information, is the response I've submitted on behalf of the Brockley and Ladywell ward councillors in response to the Lewisham Police Asset Management consultation I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, which includes proposals to close Brockley Police Station.

Theme 1: Safer Neighbourhoods bases
A Do you have any comments and views about the provision of Safer Neighbourhoods bases?
We broadly support the proposals to have Safer Neighbourhood Bases.

B If you have any specific suggestions of premises or sites suitable for a Safer Neighbourhoods base in the borough please let us know.

There are a number of empty shops on Brockley Road at the moment, by the junction with Adelaide Avenue, some of them currently to let. One of these could make a good site for a Safer Neighbourhood Base for Ladywell and Crofton teams, as it is near the ward boundary between the two, and on the main thoroughfare.

Theme 2: Public counters
C Do you agree with the splitting of front counter facilities to provide dedicated space for reception, enforcement and victim-focused functions?

Yes.

Theme 3: Office buildings
D Do you agree with the grouping of command, management and support functions into a single office building in the borough?

We do not oppose the grouping of command, management and support functions into a single office building in the borough, but we have consistently opposed the closing of local police stations in the borough and think it is important to have somewhere local that residents go to raise concerns and report crimes.

Theme 4: Summary
E Do you have any comments about the future of Brockley police station, bearing in mind the re provision of services elsewhere?

We would cautiously support the plan to move the Crofton Park and Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Team bases and the front counter facility to somewhere more prominent in the ward, such as a shop premises along Brockley Road. A prominently-located and staffed shop where people could stop by and report crimes/raise concerns would potentially be an improvement. It could also provide the opportunity to promote Neighbourhood Watch and other schemes. We recognise that the current police station, which is situated away from the main thoroughfare on a quiet residential street, is less than ideal for current requirements.

However, we understand that the existing police station is regularly used for a number of special operations, including Operation Trident, murder enquiries etc and we would be concerned if the closure of Brockley police station led to a shortage of space for these teams. We understand that the police station is already used as an overflow site because Lewisham Police Station is at capacity. We would not like to see the important work these teams carry out being hampered by the sale of the station.

We welcome the fact that the consultation document gives assurance that Brockley Police Station will not be closed until an alternative front counter facility is up and running in the area. We would be keen to ensure that the new front counter and SNT Base genuinely is a facility open to and accessible by the public, which we understand is not currently the case with the Brockley and New Cross SNT base on Lewisham Way (We understand that they operate from a shop, but there is no counter service for residents to report crime).

We would like to see some of the money saved from the running costs of the existing building, and the revenue raised by its sale being put into employing someone to staff a front counter for longer hours than the current 10-2pm service provided. We note that Sydenham Police Station is staffed by a paid civilian worker from 9-5pm daily, whereas Brockley is dependent on volunteers.

Furthermore, bearing in mind ongoing efforts by the Council, the local community and businesses to improve the local area, we would be keen to see a good quality shop-front that would enhance the local area and be in keeping with the character.

We are very concerned about the future of the existing building, which as I’m sure you are aware is locally listed and something of an architectural treasure. Assuming the plan is to sell the site off for redevelopment, we would very much hope that a sympathetic conversion into flats, preserving the main Victorian features of the building is proposed.

Concern over scope and validity of consultation
We would like to express our concern and reservation over the way the police have conducted this consultation. We were not informed as ward councillors about this consultation and only found out about it via an article in the South London Press. Considering that the consultation includes proposals to close Brockley Police Station, which is within Ladywell ward, but serves the people of both Brockley and Ladywell ward, we would have expected to be formally consulted as ward councillors.

We were further disappointed to find out that the Safer Neighbourhood Panels for the area were not informed (except by us), and even the volunteer staff at Brockley Police Station were not consulted. In fact, we have yet to find anyone in the wards who has been consulted, so we are uncertain as to what stakeholders have been informed of the proposals. We would recommend that a leaflet outlining the plans for Brockley Police Station and the Safer Neighbourhood Bases is circulated to households in the Brockley and Ladywell wards to give residents an opportunity to comment.

Brockley Police Station to Close?

I was somewhat surprised to read on the South London Press website yesterday that there is a Lewisham Police consultation ongoing which includes, amongst other things, a proposal to close Brockley Police Station. The report which is available online, was published in November 2007 and the consultation period ends on 6th March, but this is the first I've heard of it. There were rumours on Brockley Central last Summer, but I've heard nothing further until now.

Given that it's within Ladywell ward, I would really expect to have been notified either by the police or the Cabinet Member for Community Safety. Judging by the fact that no member of the public has been in touch with me about it either, I'm guessing that not many local people are aware of this consultation, which somewhat begs the question as to just how consultative the consultation is!

Anyway, the strategy document looks at the police buildings around the borough and how they meet current needs. One of the big changes that has happened to policing in London over the last few years of course is the introduction of Safer Neighbourhood Teams, and the property strategy looks amongst other things at the need to provide bases for them. Brockley Police Station currently serves as a base for three Safer Neighbourhood teams - Crofton Park, Ladywell and Telegraph Hill (the Brockley team have a base on Lewisham Way shared with the New Cross team). However, I know the Ladywell SNT have previously spoken of a wish to have a more visible base within the ward, potentially a shop premises somewhere along Brockley Road that could be shared with the Crofton Park team. The consultation document says:

"With all these changes, we do envisage a review of the future of Brockley police station with the re-provision of all the facilities currently housed there in more specialised and more appropriate facilities"

I can see the arguments behind this - the current police station, which I believe is a locally listed building, is situated away from the main thoroughfare on a quiet residential street, and is much larger than currently needed, given that the custody suites, offices and pretty much everything bar the counter service and the SNT are now centralised at the main police station on Lewisham High Street. There were attempts to close down the building and sell it off a few years ago, but this was fought and won by local residents. Since then the counter has mostly been staffed by volunteers.

I wouldn't in principle be opposed to a plan to move the Safer Neighbourhood Team bases and the front counter facility to somewhere smaller but more prominent in the ward, such as a shop premises along Brockley Road, but I would be keen to ensure that it really was a facility open to and accessible by the public, which I understand is not currently the case with the Brockley and New Cross SNT base on Lewisham Way (I understand that they operate from a shop, but there is no counter service for residents to report crime).

A prominently-located and staffed shop where people could stop by and report crimes/raise concerns would potentially be an improvement and I would suggest that some of the money saved from the running costs of the existing building, and the revenue raised by its sale could be put into employing someone to staff a front counter for longer hours than the current 10-2pm service provided by local volunteers. A visible shop location would also give the opportunity to promote Neighbourhood Watch and other schemes.

The consultation document does give assurance that Brockley Police Station will not be closed until an alternative front counter facility is up and running in the area:

"Central to all our decisions will be that no police buildings in the borough will be replaced until alternative and better-located facilities are up and running and without fully consulting the local community on our proposed changes. These changes will ultimately result in significant cost savings around the estate through reduced maintenance costs, more efficient buildings and a more effective use of the space that is occupied in the borough. Such savings will be reinvested back into the estate and ultimately back into supporting frontline policing."

My other main concern is what would happen to the existing building, which is something of a local architectural treasure. I heard somewhere that there is a covenant on the building, which says the building belongs to the local community, but I don't know if that is true. Assuming the plan is to sell the site off for redevelopment, I would very much hope that if this happens, a sympathetic conversion, preserving the main Victorian features of the building is proposed.

Here's a bit of background information about Brockley Police Station, taken from the planning application for its local listing, back in 2003:

"The police station was built between 1882-1883 by the surveyor to the Metropolitan Police, John Butler (1828- Photo Two 1900). The station was built at the same time as the surrounding residential streets, which is in contrast to later police stations, which were fitted into existing streetscapes. Many other police stations were built by John Dixon Butler, presumably Butler's son.

The building survives in its original layout with the sergeant’s family quarters upstairs; offices on the ground floor; the canteen in the Kneller Road wing and the cells in the opposite wing. Elements of the plain interior, Photo Three, survive and include a small number of panelled doors and timber partitions. The station is surrounded by a yard with its original six foot wall and substantial gate posts. The two storey building is built of red brick in the neo-Georgian style with six-over-six pane sash windows, Portland stone rusticated door cases and stone lintels. The ground floor is in rusticated brick and the building is topped by a slate hipped roof and highly decorative chimney stacks and terracotta pots."

Safer Lewisham Partnership Bus in Ladywell tomorrow

I've just been sent an e-mail to say that the Safer Lewisham Partnership bus will be parked at Ladywell Station from 10.30am – 3pm on 5 February. The focus will be around burglary and the Safer Neighbourhood Team and Council officers will be there to offer advice on crime prevention.
(please note that if parking is difficult then the venue will be changed to Adelaide Avenue by Hilly Fields Park.)

Changes to Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Team

Big changes within the Ladywell ward Safer Neighbourhood Team. Two of our three Ladywell community support officers (PCSOs), Graham Andrews and Ben Lewis, were both accepted onto training programmes to become PCs, and left the team at the end of 2007 to start their training in Southwark. They did sterling work during their time in Ladywell and they worked closely with us on a number of issues, in particular improving youth provision in the area. One of the new PCSOs was recruited before Christmas, the other will hopefully also be starting soon.

Also, one of our PCs, Don Cormican has been promoted to sergeant and has now left the team. His replacement, Sinita, is already in post. Congratulations to them all. PCSO Abdul Glover, PC Brian Jemmett and Sgt James Hart make up the rest of the team of six.

If you need to contact the Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood team, you can e-mail them or call 020 8721 2484 or 07920 233875 (obviously, if it's an emergency, call 999). I believe there are also still a couple of places on the Safer Neighbourhood Panel, which is made up of local residents and meets four times a year to set the priorities of the team for the next few months. If you are interested in being on this, contact the SNT team and they can put you in touch with the chair (NB: the next Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Panel meeting is tomorrow, Thursday 4th January, 7.30pm at the Tabernacle on Algernon Road).

Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Panel

Tonight I attended a Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Panel meeting. This is a group of local residents from various parts of the ward, plus the ward sergeant and other members of the police team. The panel meets about once every two months to set the priorities of the Safer Neighbourhood Team for the next couple of months. We agreed to keep the top priority this time as tackling burglary, as there has been a slight increase in burglaries in the ward over the summer (no particular area, unlike previously when Chudleigh Road was particularly badly affected, the incidences have been spread throughout the ward).

Other lower priority areas that the team will continue to work on include tackling graffiti and fly-tipping, and working in partnership with the council and other bodies on youth provision. A new priority we asked the team to start looking at was dealing with irresponsible dog owners who fail to control their dogs properly. There was a particularly nasty incident on Algernon Road recently in which a group of men encouraged their dogs to attack a cat, which consequently had to be put down.

We have a new(ish) sergeant in Ladywell ward, Sgt Jim Hart, as our previous sergeant got promoted. The names of all the team can be found here. Hopefully you have met some of them out and about in the ward.

I asked about a recent spate of muggings in Ladywell Fields, which you may have read about in the local papers and was pleased to hear that a suspect has been arrested.

We also received a presentation from Peter MacDonald, who is the borough co-ordinator of Neighbourhood Watch. Within six months, Lewisham has gone from having only two Neighbourhood Watch schemes to around 60, and Safer Neighbourhood Teams are working with local residents on setting up more. As far as I am aware, there aren't currently any Neighbourhood Watch schemes in Ladywell ward, but Peter and the Ladywell SNT would both be happy to advise and offer support to any residents interested in setting up a scheme. Peter volunteers at Brockley Police Station (4 Howson Road) every Thursday morning and is happy for residents to pop in and speak to him or to e-mail him.

CCTV in Ladywell?

A resident has lobbied me about getting CCTV installed in Ladywell on the corner of Algernon Rd with Ladywell Rd. I'm not strongly for or against CCTV, but I do know that it's expensive ie about £50,000 for the cost of getting a camera installed, linked into the Lewisham network etc, plus running costs.

There are almost 200 CCTV cameras in Lewisham now, mostly in the town centre and Catford. Arguably in all the areas around Ladywell, but not in Ladywell itself (maybe we were forgotten?). They were funded by 4 phases of home office funding, although maintenance and repairs are funded by the council on an ongoing basis. (The exception to this was £56,000 funding for a camera at the bottom of Clifton Rise (near the Venue Nightclub in New Cross). Police requested it and put up most of the money, with the remainder from the council budget.)

Apparently there is some research (but don't ask me to quote sources!) to show that CCTV doesn't work on its own, but can work in partnership with other measures and it tends to be reactive more than proactive. ie Most people don’t notice it is there and it's not a particularly effective deterrent eg for drunken fights, but if operators are aware of places/times/days when problems might occur they can monitor and send police as soon as a problem occurs. They can also look out for vulnerable (eg drunk) people and check they are ok. What CCTV is apparently most effective at is reducing people's fear of crime, rather than crime itself.

When I had my bike stolen from outside Ladywell Leisure Centre back in January there were 2 CCTV cameras - one on the street and one at the Leisure Centre, but one was broken/turned off and the picture on the other was too grainy to make anything out, so the CCTV in this case was absolutely useless. That said, there are of course lots of examples of cases when CCTV images have been crucial evidence to solve the crime.

According to the manager of Lewisham's CCTV system, there is no current funding for extra cameras, but they are trying to get funding for mobile CCTV cameras. At the moment I'm not convinced that if I had £50,000 to spend on crime reduction initiatives in Ladywell, or anywhere else in Lewisham for that matter, that CCTV would be top of my list. My inclination would be to spend it on youth provision, or maybe a couple more community support officers. What do you think?