HC Deb 20 May 1985 vol 79 cc270-1W
Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the numbers of police estimated to have been in attendance at, and the number of arrests made in connection with, each of the public events listed in (a) appendix 10 to the report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for 1982, (b) appendix 3(ii) of the Commissioner's report for 1983 and (c) appendix 11 to the Commissioner's report for 1981.

Mr. Giles Shaw

Information regarding the number of police officers deployed at each of these events is given in the appendices referred to. I understand from the commissioner that information regarding arrests in 1981 and 1982 is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The information in respect of 1983 is as follows:

Date Subject Arrests
22 January Demonstrations on 'G' district following the incident involving Colin Roach 22
22 March State visit of the President of Zambia Nil
17 April London marathon Nil
24 April Demonstration by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection 26
7 May Youth CND march 28
28 May Trooping the colour—1st rehearsal Nil
4 June Trooping the colour—2nd rehearsal Nil
5 June Peoples' march for jobs Nil
11 June Trooping the colour Nil
22 June State opening of Parliament Nil
25 June Demonstration by the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child Nil
23 July Animal Aid march Nil
30 July Meetings 'Y' district—in connection with the "Albert Mariner public inquiry campaign" 9
29–30 August Notting Hill carnival 84
22 October CND march and rally Nil
12 November Demonstration by the British Union for Abolition of Vivisection 24
31 December New Year's eve festivities 32

Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to (i) the public events which took place between 1 January 1984 and 25 February 1985 in the Metropolitan police district which required the attendance of more than 1,000 officers and (ii) the number of officers in attendance; the number of members of the public estimated by the police to have been in attendance; and the number of arrests made by the police in connection with each event, respectively.

Mr. Giles Shaw

I understand from the commissioner that the public order events requiring the attendance of more than 1,000 officers in the period specified were as follows

Date Subject Number of police Number of participants (where appropriate) Arrests
29 March 1984 NALGO— TUC Democracy day 1,485 9,000 34
21 April 1984 Libyan Peoples Bureau siege
Day 5 1,056 nil
Day 6 1,017 nil
Day 7 1,424 nil
Day 8 1,424 nil
Day 9 1,484 nil
Day 10 1,583 nil
Day 11 1,469 nil
12 May 1984 BUAV march to protest against proposals to replace Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 1,172 3,500 nil
13 May 1984 London marathon 1,744 nil
2 June 1984 Anti-apartheid march (reference visit of P. W, Botha) 1,536 13,500 28
7 June 1984 NUM march and lobby of Parliament 1,350 7,500 120
7 June 1984 Economic summit conference 1,726 nil
8 June 1984 Economic summit conference 1,283 nil
9 June 1984 Economic summit conference 1,085 13
9 June 1984 CND march and Economic summit events 5,764 51,000 201
9 June 1984 Trooping the colour (second rehearsal) 1,225 nil
10 June 1984 Sikh march 3,555 35,000 6
16 June 1984 Trooping the colour ceremony 1,410 nil
27 June 1984 NUM day of action 1,409 11,500 nil
27 August 1984 Notting Hill carnival 7,718 150,000 30
28 August 1984 Notting Hill carnival 200,000 81
23 October 1984 State visit of President Mitterand 2,128 5
6 November 1984 State opening of Parliament 1,592 nil
7 November 1984 Democracy for London campaign march and rally 1,382 400 nil
11 November 1984 Remembrance day morning ceremony 1,088 nil
18 November 1984 Policing the Ban on Marches in the Metropolitan police district 1,390 nil
31 December 1984 New Year's eve celebrations 1,305 50,000 82
25 February 1985 NUM defence committee march 1,615 13,000 121