Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore, London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden spoke out against the Mayor’s decision to allow the Metropolitan Police to buy two water cannons, at Mayor’s Question Time on 19^th March. (See webcast below)

 

Mr Dismore said:

“The Mayor’s decision is deeply worrying.

This decision is another nail in the coffin of the traditional British model of policing by consent.

It will have a chilling effect on the right of peaceful protest, as peaceful protesters will be wary of expressing their views on protest marches if they think there is a risk of water cannon being used against them.

These cannons are dangerous: the Assembly heard evidence from a protester in Europe who had been blinded when hit by a water cannon jet.

The evidence was clear that this equipment will be of no use in spontaneous fast moving riots, but only has any utility  against preplanned political demonstrations, like that of the Countryside Alliance.

Once the police get these cannons, they will want to use them. There is a real risk of mission creep, as operational decisions will be taken by senior police officers, not the Mayor, when to deploy these weapons  on London’s streets.

What is even more worrying is that the Mayor admitted he had not even read the fully researched report of the Assembly Police Committee, which concluded that the case had not been made for the purchase of water cannon. Even some of the Conservative members of the Assembly oppose the Mayor on this issue.

The Mayor has a statutory duty to listen to the Assembly, and even at this last minute, I hope either someone takes the Mayor to judicial review over his failure to read the report, or the Home Secretary overrules this cavalier decision of the Mayor”.

http://www.london.gov.uk/webcasts/36277/asx

water cannon debate at 3 hours 7 minutes