since it’s kicking off in the UK
This is a compilation of everything I can think of for dealing with UK cops, based on my experience as a first aider for various demonstrations in London over the last year.
Take note of the five key messages via Green and Black Cross for dealing with UK cops:
“no comment” - if a cop asks you any question at all, just say “no comment”
no personal details - you do not have to give any personal details if a cop asks (except, apparently, for nationality if they think you’re not from the UK). however, if you get arrested, giving just your name and address may lead to them releasing you sooner.
no caution - police may try to get you to accept a “caution” if they don’t think they can make a prosecution stick. this is effectively an admission of guilt, and goes on your record; refuse it.
no duty solicitor - the police are obliged to connect you to a free “duty solicitor” at the station, but duty solicitors usually have no particular expertise in protest law, so they will not be able to give you good advice. if you have a ‘bust card’, you should have the numbers of law firms who can give you free advice and represention. these are usually ITN, HJA and Bindman’s. for a longer list, see Netpol.
“what power?” - if a cop tells you to do something, ask them which specific power they are invoking. if circumstances permit, make a record of it, and which specific cop (by the number on their shoulder) gave the order. regularly doing this puts pressure on cops to stick to their legal limits.
Also worth noting: police can try to impose conditions on where and when a protest is allowed to take place, which then gives them the ability to arrest and prosecute people who disobey these conditions. Unlike most laws, these only hold up in court if it can be convincingly shown that you heard the conditions. So you should never repeat conditions to other people (since the knowledge makes them susceptible to prosecution), and if the police start trying to announce conditions, that’s the time to turn up the volume of the protest!
Ideally, protests should be supported by legal observers (LOs) who wear orange tabards (usually with ‘legal observer’ written on them), and stand a bit outside the main protest, making careful note of what the cops do. The cops have come to accept that LOs have a special ‘independent but not impartial’ role, and LOs are often allowed to do things that protestors can’t, such as go behind or around police lines. Currently, LOs are usually from the Activist Court Aid Brigade - contact them if you’re organising a protest and need LO support. Having LOs watching should keep the cops from breaking their own rules too badly, since it can ruin their chance of successful prosecution later.
If you are witnessing an arrest, you can call the protest legal support line 07946 541 511 (currently run by ACAB), who can give you immediate advice on what to take note of and what information to give the people being arrested. It’s a good idea to write this number on your body somewhere, since you get one call from the station and from there, ACAB can put you in touch with any number of others.
If you’re running a protest where arrests are plausible, it’s very important to have good station support: people ready to meet a person when they’re released from a really traumatising experience, give them care and food and potentially first aid for injuries from handcuffs etc., and take careful note of what the police have done (especially if there are visible signs of injury). There are a number of police stations around London where people may be taken, so try to find out which specific station when arrests happen so you can make sure you’re there.
For more information, see the following organisations: Green and Black Cross, Netpol, ACAB.
Below I’ve described the main things I’ve seen police do to gather information, identify specific people, and contain protests. If things escalate as they have in America, police may start trying new tactics, so this info may become outdated. Still, in case it’s useful for people organising now, I’m writing what I know.
I’m also going to summarise likely injuries you might expect from police and quickly describe how to treat them. This is no substitute for a first aid course, but we’re stretched very thin at the moment so trying to get basic ‘do no harm’ knowledge out will hopefully reduce the risks a little bit.
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