Review of the Policing of Public Protest: Hmic Reference Hmic/Foi/2009/6

Dear Mr Hansen

REVIEW OF THE POLICING OF PUBLIC PROTEST: HMIC REFERENCE HMIC/FOI/2009/6

I am replying to the freedom of information request you made of HMIC on 2 June. I am the chief administrator in HMIC and I handle freedom of information matters; I am not directly involved with the Review.

I should begin by saying that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is not a public body specified in the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, we have chosen to operate as if we were, for two reasons: first, our “host” Department, the Home Office, is so specified, and secondly as it is our policy to publish almost all of our reports.

You posed five questions, and I believe that you will find that most are answered by the attached extract from our website. This was placed there on 12May. In addition, you asked for information about those being consulted, and those conducting the Review. On your first point, we have set out to draw comments from those major protest groups which were present at the G20 demonstration, and individual participants or observers and the media, either by making contact with them or by responding to approaches made to the Review team.

As to the Review team itself, the Review is being conducted under the general direction (as is all HMIC work) of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, DenisO’Connor. The Review team itself is led by NickBrook, a senior civil servant on secondment from the Home Office. Senior advisers to the Review team include two HMIC Assistant Inspectors of Constabulary, VicTowell and JoKaye; and the human rights adviser JaneGordon. Other senior members of the Review team are Chief Superintendent NicolaGrevatt, Detective Superintendent LaurenceCarr, Superintendent MoiraMunro and Chief Inspector JuliaPink, who are all on secondment to HMIC from the Police Service. Each of these officers has experience in operational policing.

An External Reference Group is playing a critical part in ensuring impartiality of the review process. The group is drawn from a broad spectrum of interested groups and includes representation from Human Rights Groups, the media, academics, Government Departments and the police.

Its remit is to provide support and challenge to the review team and to develop critical thinking and ensure that the review draws from divergent views and that the conclusions are sound and evidenced based.

In addition, the team has a number of less senior police officers who are in the Police Service’s Higher Potential Development Scheme, and there is a small administrative resource.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent review of our handling of your request by submitting your complaint within two months to:

Information Rights Team

Information and Record Management Service

Home Office

4th Floor, SeacoleBuilding

2 Marsham Street

London SW1P 4DF.

During the independent review our handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Act.

Stephen Wells

Head of Services