Kent Police ‘knew about Dover protest day earlier than far-right thugs in balaclavas blocked port’
Despite the police originally claiming they were unaware about the protest, the force has recently confirmed receiving ‘non-emergency’ information on the day before the protest took place
The force said they received “non-emergency information”
Kent Police has confirmed it received information about a possible protest a day before around 300 masked demonstrators blocked access to the Port of Dover.
Hundreds of men dressed head-to-toe in black, wearing masks and balaclavas, descended on the UK’s busiest ferry port on Saturday morning, chanting ‘England till I die, whose streets? Our Streets’ and ‘Stop the boats’. Days later, Kent Police said it had been unaware of the protest in advance and described it as “spontaneous”, prompting accusations of an intelligence failure.
But the force has now confirmed a review found it received “non-emergency information” late on Friday which, if properly assessed, may have allowed officers to “consider its resourcing”.
A force spokesperson 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.”
Danny Thomas, an associate of Tommy Robinson, has claimed to have masterminded the protest as part of his ‘Patriot Platform’ movement and previously said it had groups across the country. After the demonstration, he posted on Facebook: “This is only the beginning.”
Sharing a video of demonstrators on Instagram, he wrote: “It’s time! Protect our country! And more importantly our women and children! This is our warning!” He later added on Facebook: “Well done, lads and lasses You stuck to the plan and maintained complete discipline. I’m so proud of all of you! You all understood how important this was. And this is only the beginning.”
Dover District Council deputy leader Edward Biggs called Kent Police’s admission “very worrying” and “really poor”. He added: “It’s very disappointing. We rely on the police providing us information so that we can inform the community and take whatever steps we need to take.”
However, Kent Police said the information it received “would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community”.
Kent’s police and crime commissioner Matthew Scott said he welcomed an independent learning review by the College of Policing and had asked it to examine both how information was triaged and the force’s communications response. He said he would ensure the chief constable was held to account over any recommendations.
He added: “It is essential that we understand how this happened, and that lessons are learnt. This is separate to the response of officers, staff and specials on the ground, who did the best they could, in the circumstances they were presented with, to bring the disruption to an end as soon as they did.”
The force has faced criticism for describing the protest as ‘spontaneous’ and for its response as roads around Dover, the UK’s busiest ferry and pedestrian port, were blocked for hours.
Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills told the BBC the “exceptionally well organised” protest had “caught several agencies on the hoof”.
He also said the force “appeared to be quite slow to keep the roads and the networks open, which is disappointing. The protesters knew what they were doing, I’m not sure the police did know what was going to happen. But then I accept that the police resource is stretched.”
Dover and Deal MP Mike Tapp wrote for The Mirror that small-boat arrivals were down 46% this summer compared with last year. He added: “People have every right to protest about immigration. They have every right to demand stronger borders. But intimidating a town in balaclavas and blocking one of Britain’s most important ports? That isn’t the way to do it.”
In a social media post, the MP wrote: “Park run cancelled and port access disrupted. I am fed up with idiots coming to Dover to cause disruption. I bet if you asked any one of those ‘protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess. Go home, enjoy your weekend/get a job.”
