Police not ready for summer of unrest

Telegraph

23-07-2025

Police have said that they are not ready for a summer of unrest as they warn they will have to divert officers away from neighbourhood duties to tackle protests over migrants.
After days of protests against mass migration outside asylum hotels, and with more planned in the coming weeks, there are fears the UK could be heading for another summer of violent disorder.
Writing for The Telegraph, below, Tiff Lynch, the head of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said officers were being 'pulled in every direction' and commanders were 'forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps'.
Unrest in Epping was a 'signal flare' for more to come, she said.
The federation said that already-underfunded police forces would be forced to take officers away from neighbourhood policing duties to manage anti-migrant protests that turned violent.
Official figures released by the Home Office show that the number of bobbies on the beat has already fallen to a record low.
The number of officers in local policing has dropped from a peak of 67,785 in 2023 to 58,002 in 2025, according to the data.
It comes after Essex Police came under fire for escorting anti-racism protesters to the Bell Hotel in Epping, where violence subsequently broke out.
The force later took some of the anti-racism protesters away in police vans as they were 'clearly at risk of being hurt'.
Demonstrations had taken place outside the hotel after a migrant, who has since been arrested, allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl just days after arriving in the UK.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, claimed the Essex force had 'directly facilitated the unrest we saw' and added: 'Heads must roll.'
Ms Lynch said that if violent protests spread throughout the summer, it would be 'dangerous to assume' officers would be able to 'hold the line indefinitely'.
She said: 'It would be comical if it weren't so serious – and so familiar. Local commanders are once again being forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps.'
The rioting that broke out in the wake of the Southport killings last year had 'exposed the deep fragility within our public order policing system', she said, adding: 'The gaps were plain to see: mutual aid stripped to the bone, co-ordination between forces lacking, and a total failure to anticipate how disorder is now sparked and fuelled online.
'Officers were left to face missiles with little more than a shield and a short briefing. The risks were there in black and white – yet little has improved since.'
Ben-Julian Harrington, the Chief Constable of Essex Police, refused to resign over his handling of the protests and denied his officers had given a higher level of protection to anti-racism activists.
Residents, who were protesting peacefully, said violence had been made inevitable by the decision to escort counter-protesters towards the hotel.
Mr Harrington insisted that the only protection that officers were providing was to 'lawful and law-abiding people'.
He argued that the 'irresponsible and criminal behaviour' of a minority of people at the protests was drawing officers in Essex away from investigating other crimes.
Demonstrations outside hotels housing migrants have taken place in Norfolk and London in recent days, with more planned in other cities, including Bournemouth and Southampton, over the coming weeks.
Tommy Robinson, the far-Right activist, called for his supporters to attend another demonstration outside a hotel in Norwich this week, stating that 'local communities have had enough'.
Officers 'pulled in every direction'
Ms Lynch said: 'Public order requires planning, investment and leadership. But officers are being pulled in every direction, asked to do more with less, and left in the dark about their future – all while being quietly sacrificed for short-term convenience.
'They will turn up. They always do. But it is dangerous to assume that they can continue to hold the line indefinitely, without the support they need or the recognition they deserve.
'A summer of further unrest is not inevitable. But it becomes far more likely if we once again fail to prepare.'
The federation said that police pay had fallen by more than 20 per cent in real terms since 2010, but Ms Lynch added that 'this goes far beyond pay'.
'This is about whether the country still values the men and women who step forward when everything else breaks down. Right now, many of them feel utterly abandoned', she said.
Labour is aiming to put 3,000 more bobbies on the beat by next spring and has pledged that every community will have dedicated teams that will spend their time in the community.
From this month, all forces will be expected to guarantee police patrols in town centres and other 'hotspot' areas at peak times, such as Friday and Saturday nights in town centres or market days in rural communities.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Farage said that counter-protest groups such as Stand Up To Racism had been given the 'red carpet treatment'.
'There's no doubt in my mind that, through their actions, Essex Police directly facilitated the unrest we saw', he added.
Exhausted officers cannot continue to hold the line indefinitely
By Tiff Lynch
The disorder in Epping – where police officers were pelted with bricks and bottles outside an asylum hotel – was not just a troubling one-off. It was a signal flare. A reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it.
Last summer's civil unrest exposed the deep fragility within our public order policing system. The gaps were plain to see: mutual aid stripped to the bone, co-ordination between forces lacking, and a total failure to anticipate how disorder is now sparked and fuelled online. Officers were left to face missiles with little more than a shield and a short briefing. The risks were there in black and white, yet little has improved since.
Instead of strengthening our front line, we are continuing to sap its energy. More than 1,500 officers have been pulled from local forces to police a private visit by the US president. This was not a state occasion; it was a leisure trip. While he plays golf, communities hundreds of miles away are left without coverage, and already exhausted public order units are stretched even further.
It would be comical if it weren't so serious – and so familiar. Local commanders are once again being forced to choose between keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps.
Meanwhile, anger is building. Every other public sector profession – from NHS staff to teachers and the Armed Forces – has had its annual pay award confirmed. Police officers, alone, are still waiting. With just weeks before the new pay period begins, there has been nothing but silence.
It's hard not to see that delay as calculated; an attempt to avoid fuelling discontent in a workforce already under strain. If that's the plan, it is both cynical and dangerous. Officers don't need a message of reassurance. They need action and respect.
Through our Copped Enough campaign, we hear from officers who are at breaking point. Working relentless overtime, not as a choice but as an expectation. Taking second jobs to keep up with rising costs. Watching friends and colleagues walk away because the personal toll has become too great.
Behind each uniform is a person, someone with a family, responsibilities, and limits. When officers are stretched to breaking point, the effects ripple far beyond the front line. It impacts home lives, mental health and long-term wellbeing. These are not just statistics or headlines. These are real people carrying the weight of a system in crisis.
This goes far beyond pay. This is about whether the country still values the men and women who step forward when everything else breaks down. Right now, many of them feel utterly abandoned.
Policing cannot function on goodwill alone. Public order requires planning, investment and leadership. But officers are being pulled in every direction, asked to do more with less, and left in the dark about their future – all while being quietly sacrificed for short-term convenience.
They will turn up. They always do. But it is dangerous to assume that they can continue to hold the line indefinitely, without the support they need or the recognition they deserve.
A summer of further unrest is not inevitable. But it becomes far more likely if we once again fail to prepare.