§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will deposit in the Library a copy of the Metropolitan Police Service's report on Policing during the Chinese state visit; what input Government Departments had to the report; and if he will make a statement. [121497]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Metropolitan Police Service's review into the policing arrangements for the state visit by the President of China was put into the public domain on 17 March 2000, and copies were placed in the Library.
The report was written without reference to any person or body outside the Metropolitan Police Service. Government Departments had sight of the report prior to publication.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the admission by the Metropolitan police that some of its officers behaved unlawfully during the Chinese state visit of October 1999; [121801]
(2) for what reasons the Metropolitan police's review of policing of the Chinese state visit during October 1999 did not identify behaviour that it later found to be unlawful. [121800]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI understand that the statement made by the Metropolitan police in the context of court proceedings was based on further legal advice concerning the powers available to them under the byelaws applying in the Royal Parks.
This indicated that flags and banners could not be removed from protesters where such items were being used solely for peaceful protest purposes.
The review by the Metropolitan police concerned the operational policing arrangements for the visit and did not benefit from the additional legal advice.