§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to take legal action against companies which exhibited arms and ammunition at the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition without first obtaining the required licences; and if not, why not. [HL5236]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalI understand from the Metropolitan Police that no participants were allowed to exhibit without the necessary registration and authority. Nine exhibitors arrived without the necessary documentation to possess firearms. Arrangements were made for this to be rectified before they were allowed to exhibit. In the meantime the firearms were stored in a secure armory.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their normal practice to recover from the organisers the cost of policing events on private premises to which the public do not have free access; and whether they intend to recover the cost of policing the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition from Spearhead Exhibitions Ltd. [HL5237]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalSection 25 of the Police Act 1996 enables chief officers of police to provide special police services upon request and in return for payment at a rate set by the police authority.
I understand from the Commissioner that the majority of the costs to the Metropolitan Police associated with this exhibition arose from policing demonstrations that occurred outside the exhibition. Maintaining public order in such circumstances is a normal part of police business.