South Coast protests
Minister for Policing and Crime statement on public order following the protest activity seen on the South Coast.
With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on public order following the protest activity seen on the south coast this weekend.
I know many in this House and outside it will have been concerned by the events of the past two days and I welcome this opportunity to set out what happened, as well as updating members on the action this government is taking to address the issues at the heart of these protests.
It is right to begin with the facts.
At around 7.30am on Saturday morning, around 150 individuals descended on the Port of Dover, many of them wearing face-coverings.
Kent Police deployed rapidly to the scene of what the force has described as a “no-notice” protest.
No arrests were made and the crowd eventually dispersed some hours later, at which point full access to the Port was restored.
Nevertheless, the impact was felt by local residents and workers, for whom the scenes will have been unnerving, as well as ferry passengers and motorists, who faced delays as a result.
Turning to the second incident in Portsmouth.
In the early afternoon on Sunday, a boat carrying approximately 120 people reached British waters near the Isle of Wight – considerably further west than the majority of small boat crossings.
The RNLI, under the direction of HM Coastguard, met the boat and directed it towards Eastney Marina in the wider Portsmouth area.
At around 8pm, a group of more than 200 protestors arrived at the harbour, intending to block three coaches which were due to take the arrivals for processing.
Many of those protestors were dressed in all black and wearing face masks.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, with the support of other neighbouring forces, used a dispersal notice to ensure public safety.
And officers were forced to use batons and PAVA spray to maintain order in the face of some aggression.
Officers worked through the evening and into the early hours of the morning, and at around 4am, protestors began to disperse and the coaches eventually set off.
Again, no arrests were made on the night.
However, investigations are ongoing, and where criminality is identified those responsible should expect to face the consequences.
Madam Deputy Speaker, these types of incidents require careful handling by the police and I place on record my thanks to all who were part of the operational responses in Dover and Portsmouth.
I am especially grateful to those on the front line, whose efforts were essential to bringing the demonstrations to a conclusion.
I have this afternoon spoken to key policing partners.
As the House would expect in the wake of such incidents, work is ongoing to establish any lessons and ensure that relevant intelligence is shared at pace across our law enforcement system.
Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democracy.
And it must be defended.
But so too is the right of other citizens to go about their lives without undue interference.
And there can be no excuse for threatening behaviour or serious disruption.
Let me therefore make clear to the House and to the country, that disorder of any kind will never be tolerated.
And those who cross the line from peaceful protest into illegality will face the full force of the law.
This government condemns the intimidating and thuggish behaviour shown by some of the protestors this weekend.
We are working closely with the police in Kent and Hampshire, alongside the National Police Coordination Centre, all of whom have our full backing in taking every necessary step to uphold public safety and maintain the peace.
Madam Deputy Speaker, none of this is to in any way minimise the very valid concerns that law-abiding people have when they see vile criminal gangs exploiting our nation’s generosity and people making illegal and unnecessary journeys to reach this country.
Let us never forget, that the frustration we see in our communities today is a product of chaos and crisis in the years that preceded the General Election in 2024.
Since then, this government has taken action to fix the broken system we inherited and bear down on the people smugglers.
We have doubled the number of National Crime Agency officers tasked with dismantling organised immigration crime.
System-wide arrests are up 70%.
More than 1,100 boats and engines have been seized.
And, in partnership with French law enforcement, we have prevented over 48,000 attempted crossings.
We are now taking that partnership further with a landmark new deal, signed in April, securing a 40% increase in French boots on the ground, taking the total to over 1,000, as well as enhanced surveillance technology and new specialist units.
At the same time, Madam Deputy Speaker, we are removing the incentives that draw people here illegally in the first place.
Since the election, we have made over 6,000 small boat returns - a 64% increase on the last two years of the previous government.
And we have removed more than 80,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals from these shores.
As a result of the action this government has taken, this summer saw the lowest number of small boat arrivals since 2020.
So far this year, the number of crossings is down by over 43% on last year.
Progress is being made, but we are not complacent.
We must and we will be unrelenting, not least in response to any shift in tactics by the gangs.
The use of larger boats with over a hundred people crammed on board is a clear cause for concern, and we remain alert to the potential for crossings on less frequently targeted stretches of water off our coastline.
The gangs are never going to go quietly, Madam Deputy Speaker.
They are responding to the impact our work is having, and we will adapt, in turn.
Both in terms of our enforcement, in partnership with France.
And in terms of our response here.
Madam Deputy Speaker, our priority will always be the safety of the British people.
As such, we will continue bearing down on small boat crossings and the criminal gangs behind them, as we deliver the strong, secure borders the people of this country expect and deserve.
At the same time, we will keep working closely with police forces to maintain order on our streets.
While we must protect our ancient right to free speech, what we will never tolerate is the disruption of people’s daily lives or the intimidation of our communities.
And I commend this statement to the House.