Epping protests set to cost Essex Police at least £1.7m
Several demonstrations have been held outside The Bell hotel.
Last updated 26th Sep 2025
The cost of the policing protest at Epping is set to cost Essex Police around £1.7 million in additional expenditure, the force has said.
Multiple demonstrations have been held outside The Bell hotel after asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu sexually assaulted a woman and a 14-year-old girl in the town.
The 38-year-old Ethiopian national, who arrived in the UK on a small boat days before the incident in July, was jailed for 12 months at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, September 23.
The crime commissioner for Essex has said the cost of policing these protests outside the Bell Hotel—a migrant hotel where he had been staying—has been estimated at an extra £1.7 million by the end of October.
It could be more if protests continue beyond this date.
Commissioner Roger Hirst said at an Essex crime panel meeting on September 25: “The reality is, of course, that policing the events of
the summer – not just Epping but principally Epping in terms of demonstrations and protests – has involved a substantial level of police over time and indeed mutual support from neighbouring forces.
“I think some even came from Wales to support it, and that has meant that we have been able to continue to do the policing of the county as we need to do.
“There have , been regular conversations that we’ve had about resourcing, capability, capacity and making sure that we are able to do what we need to do to keep people safe across the county.
“But it is an additional burden on the budget as a result.”
He added that the extra cost has to be absorbed by the force, and only after the cost runs over £4million will Essex Police get Government support.
He said: “We will have to deal with that within our internal resources, and work out how to do that.
“We don’t get a special grant from the central government unless we reach just over £4 million additional expenditure, which we are hopefully not going to do.”
He added: “It’s a classic public service conundrum, isn’t it really? You have the need. You have the requirement right now.
“You have to do it. That’s the job. And sometimes you report a deficit and overspend.”
The force issued a policing plan for protests on September 25, including warnings that failing to comply with the conditions is a criminal offence
These conditions included restricting public assembly in the vicinity of the Bell Hotel on the south side of the B1393 High Road, Epping, opposite the hotel, behind the area marked off by metal fencing. No assembly is permitted on the road (B1393).
All protest activity was confined to the hours between 6pm and 7.30pm on Thursday, September 25, and no sound amplification equipment could be used.
Banners or signs could not contain offensive or inflammatory language.
Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “We remain committed to facilitating peaceful protest and will continue to engage with organisers and participants to ensure that everyone understands the conditions and the reasons behind the restrictions.
“I know that those who are protesting may be frustrated by the restrictions imposed, but there are a growing number of reports from local residents and businesses describing the impact of protest activity.
“It is our aim to keep everybody safe and our policing approach will continue to remain impartial, proportionate, and focused on protecting the rights of all.
“The right to protest has to be balanced with the rights of others to live in peace and feel safe in their homes – when those living in Epping tell us that these actions are stopping them sleeping or impacting their businesses, we have to exercise these powers to support them.
“These are not about favouring one group over another – they are about striking a fair balance between competing rights and ensuring that protest does not come at the expense of public safety and community wellbeing.”