§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with representatives of the police about not control.
§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to authorise the issue of new riot equipment and special protective clothing to the police.
§ Mr. WhitelawAt my meeting on 1 May with the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the secretary of the Superintendents' Association and the chairman of the Police Federation, about the serious difficulties which police officers face in dealing with large scale violence and disorder, there was complete agreement that any departure from traditional policing methods was undesirable.
Although in recent years a good deal of attention has been given to protective clothing and equipment, it is right that in the light of recent serious disorders there should be a further thorough examination of these matters. This should include a careful analysis of the injuries sustained by the police.
I have therefore decided to appoint a working group to review the work on protective clothing and equipment that has been undertaken in recent years and to consider whether any changes are necessary.
The working group will be under Home Office chairmanship with representatives from Her Majesty 's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the Superintendents' Association and the Police Federation. Representatives from the local authority associations will also be invited to participate.
I have asked that this review should be completed as quickly as possible. I shall in due course make a statement to the House both on this review and on the other related work, including the training of police officers to deal with public disorder, which I put in hand last year.