Thread by @netpol

The Home Office has finally confirmed it will collate and publish data on the use of police powers to restrict protests, following sustained pressure from Netpol and our supporters netpol.org/2023/06/20/pre… #DefendDissent

@JustStop_Oil @libertyhq This delay is three years after greater transparency was recommended by Parliament’s @HumanRightsCtte, and comes despite almost all usage of powers to restrict protests resulting from just one force – the Metropolitan Police.

@JustStop_Oil @libertyhq @HumanRightsCtte Frustratingly, the Home Office will require everyone to wait an entire year, until “the summer of 2024”, before protest data becomes publicly available – despite a significant portion of the data already made publicly available via the Metropolitan Police’s social media.

Based on data reported on a Met Twitter feed, Netpol has already identified over 125 instances of the police issuing Section 12 notices on @JustStop_Oil protesters since 1 May 2023. This number is rising daily. You can find the raw data here cryptpad.fr/sheet/#/3/shee…

In most cases we tracked, it took the Metropolitan Police less than 5 minutes to issue a Section 12 notice after arriving on the scene. Here's a visualization of this

The Met's figures for the use of section 12 powers to restrict protests are practically identical to Netpol's. So why does the Home Office need an entire year to gather and publish data when the consequences of these powers are happening right now? news.met.police.uk/news/update-86…

With so few forces outside of London ever using Section 12 and 14 powers, there is little justification for needing an entire year to gather data on restrictions that have a profound impact on the right to freedom of assembly.

The delay suggests the Home Office has had to hurriedly come up with a plan after facing unanticipated outside scrutiny. Our thanks to @CarolineLucas and others for helping us to force this into the public domain