HC Deb 27 February 1996 vol 272 cc506-7W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on the use of police powers to seize and retain bicycles used in demonstrations; and in what circumstances the police are entitled to take such action. [16792]

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 26 February 1996]: There are no specific police powers of this kind and therefore no such guidance has been issued. The role of the police in controlling demonstrations is to preserve the peace, to uphold the law and to prevent the commission of offences. Police tactics and decisions on how to achieve these objectives are a matter for the independent operational judgment of chief officers of police.