The Metropolitan Police have issued a statement (below) following a letter that was received by Commissioner Cressida Dick citing the concerns of 50 MPs over the current security provisions in place around the Houses of Parliament.
Conservative MP Anna Soubry was recently surrounded by a group of protesters who were filmed shouting various obscenities at the pro-Brexit MP as she made her way to the Houses of Parliament.
The video footage of the incident (see below) has been shared on social media and viewed nearly 2 million times.
Ms Soubry had asked why police officers, who were stationed over the road from where she was accosted by the protestors, did not intervene.
However, police officers who are posted in-and-around areas which pose such a high-security risk often have to remain at their ‘static’ location in order to maintain a tight security perimeter.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor for Met Operations said:
“Police continue to assess if any crimes have been committed following a third party report of a public order offence on Monday, 7 January, in the area of College Green, SW1.
“If a crime has been committed the matter will be fully investigated.
“There has been no arrest at this stage.
“An ongoing policing operation at the Parliamentary estate around Brexit continues and we have an appropriate policing plan in place.
“Our role is to facilitate peaceful protest and balance the needs and rights of all those present, including protestors, MPs and members of the public.
“We will deal robustly with incidents of harassment and abuse against anyone where that harassment or abuse constitutes a criminal offence.
“Officers in the area have been briefed to intervene appropriately where they hear or see breaches of the law.”
If you have a story, video or one-off blog that you would like to share with us, then you can contact our team of former emergency services & armed forces personnel either through our Facebook page, via Twitter ( @ES_News_ ) or you can contact us via email: contact@emergency-services.news
If you run or manage a ‘job’ social media account and you would like us to share one of your stories then send us a tweet or a message!
If you would like to write an article that you would like us to share (it can be about anything to do with the emergency services / NHS) whether you serve in the emergency services / NHS or whether you are a member of the public that has had a good experience with the emergency services, then feel free to contact our team; anonymously if you prefer.
We are proud to act as a voice for the Emergency Services & Health Service, with over 500,000 people visiting our website each month.
Before you go...
WE NEED YOUR HELP.Here at Emergency Services News, we aim to tell you stories that the mainstream media are not interested in reporting. Whilst the MSM love to berate and ridicule the emergency services, who is there to report on the realities of serving on the front line?
Emergency Services News is currently a loss-making entity. But our team of volunteers, all former emergency services personnel, do not do it for the money.
We do it because we are sick and tired of the mainstream media constantly trying to undermine the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep you and your family safe.
How many MSM journalists who speak ill of the emergency services have actually dared to don the uniform and risk their own lives to save the life of a complete stranger? If you would like to help back our mission of reporting on fact-based news, then please consider helping to support us financially.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.