Kent Police say they were warned of Dover demonstrations day before, after previously calling them 'spontaneous'
It's as we've been talking to a policing expert, who says information is essential in handling operations.
In a new update Kent Police say they were made aware of the Dover protestors the Friday before they blocked the port - despite having previously descried the incident as 'spontaneous'.
Kent Police's Response
In their most recent statement Kent Police said:
'The protest organisers adopted a different approach to previous protests, and as part of our commitment to public safety we have examined our decision-making to identify any lessons, to ensure we are well prepared for future events organised in a similar way.
'During that initial review, we found the force had received non-emergency information late on Friday evening that a protest could take place in the town the following day. This information was not fully assessed. If it was, it may have allowed the force to consider its resourcing.
'However, this information would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community.
'We have asked the College of Policing to conduct a learning review to independently examine the processes involved.'
Expert Opinion
Peter Williams is a senior policing lecturer with thirty years of experience in the force and an MBE for services to policing education.
According to Williams, in reactive scenarios like the ones seen in Kent and Portsmouth, the primary focus remains the protection of the public:
"The overriding issue is protection of the public. Protection of life and property, which is one of the basic requirements or basic duties of a constable.
"It's obviously a difficult call when it's something that's actually as instant and spontaneous as it appeared to be in both Kent and Portsmouth. I think there are reasons for that, which I think the police need to look at."
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio about the weekend's disturbances, he emphasised that intelligence gathering is crucial for the police to effectively manage such situations:
"The most effective police operations and have been for some 20, 30 years now...is when they are intelligence-led.
"I.e. - When we receive intelligence or information that goes through a process of evaluation, that's when it becomes intelligence.
"It gives the police the opportunity to be proactive and that means they can plan. And, of course, that hasn't happened here."
Going forward he suggested that there may be a need for a more centralised source of intelligence, particularly due to the chance of additional migrant boats taking new routes instead of landing in Dover:
"The only resources Kent will have to draw on is Kent Constabulary Intelligence Unit. Same applies to Hampshire.
"But of course, it looks like now this is going to be a problem for a fair amount of the South Coast across the whole of the South East, rather than just being in concentrated in just one county.
"So, there's an issue there in terms of the intelligence and almost, if you like, being caught being asleep at the wheel."