Scotland Yard plans pre-emptive strike against royal wedding anarchists

[TriWooOx]

Quote:Keen to prevent the scenes of disorder which accompanied the TUC march last month, the Metropolitan Police says it plans to identify and potentially arrest known trouble-makers in advance of the wedding on April 29.

Senior officers say that 60 anarchists arrested during the TUC march have bail conditions which prevent them entering central London two days before the wedding and two days after, as well as the actual day itself.

Police “spotters” – normally used to combat football hooligans - will be used throughout the country to watch those on bail, and other anarchists who have previously committed public order offences at demonstrations, to ensure they are not planning on disrupting the wedding.

If intelligence shows that groups or individuals are planning on causing trouble in London on the day they could be arrested before hand on conspiracy charges. Others will be warned to stay away from central London on the day of the wedding.

A police source said: “The same faces often re-appear at different protests and we will try and take a pre-emptive strike against them.”

The Met’s policing operation on the day of the wedding will involve just under 5,000 officers – fewer that the number which policed the wedding of the Prince of Wales and the then Lady Diana Spencer.

At least 1,000 officers will form “mobile teams” which the force will dispatch to any incidents which take place away from the royal wedding route.

Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens, who is in charge of the royal wedding policing operation, said that the mobile teams will be based at various points around central London.

She added: “We will be able to respond in fast time to any incident that occurs. If any body comes to London on the day of the royal wedding intending to commit criminal acts, we will act quickly robustly and decisively.”

While Scotland Yard is confident that it can prevent disorder along the parade route, they fear that anarchists, similar to those who attached themselves to the TUC march, will cause trouble at other locations across central London.

The TUC march was marred by groups using so-called “black bloc” tactics, diverting from the main group to cause criminal damage before changing their clothes and blending in with the protesters.

Fearing that anarchists may use similar tactics on the day of the wedding, officers are monitoring websites to establish the groups which are intent on causing trouble.

But a Scotland Yard source said that while the overt intelligence – material on the web – is plentiful, the covert intelligence picture – information from police sources - is much poorer.

Ms Owens said: “We have both overt and covert policing activities on going and we will prevent people coming to London to cause criminal behaviour if that is their intention. With anarchist protesters we have got a pre-event investigation team and an intelligence gathering team and there will be activity in the days before.”

While officers are attempting to gather intelligence on anarchists, Scotland Yard have said that there is no specific intelligence to suggest that the event will be the subject of a terrorist attack. Officers will not, therefore, be able to use stop and search powers under terrorism legislation, but will have other stop and seach powers available.

The majority of the police officers involved in the wedding will be in ceremonial tunics lining the route while others will be deployed to protect the 80 dignitaries expected to attend.

The Goring Hotel, where Kate Middleton will stay the night before the wedding, will be subject to its own policing operation, although Scotland Yard refused to elaborate on the details.

Scotland Yard will also liaise with the Fixed Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) to identify stalkers who have obsessions with members of the Royal family or any of the high-profile guests who will attend.

It is believed that a small number of people have been warned to stay away from the wedding.

Policing the event is expected to cost millions, with officers receiving double time because the wedding day has been made a bank holiday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/r...hists.html

[amlorusso]

Nice to see the mainstream media continuing the misinformation propoganda on anarchism. These violent assholes are no more anarchists than hooligans are football fans. A true anarchist would never commit an act of violence just to "protest" something, the only permissible use of force for an anarchist is in self-defence of themselves or others. Neither do anarchists want to change one form of government for another.

[yeti]

Royalty makes me nauseous. Talk about an anachronistic parasitic system...