Police release figures revealing 11,000 officer shifts lost to police Just Stop Oil protestors in the first four weeks.

Congratulations to protesters from the Just Stop Oil campaign who have become the most intensely disliked protesters across the capital. The irony is that the majority of the public agree with the concerns voiced and would support these causes if the protests were aimed at those involved and not the London community trying to get to work everyday.

Their latest ‘slow march’ tactic has caused even more anger across the capital, as vans try and get by to get to work nearly causing a crash, builders attempt to physically move protesters out of the road and even more frustrating was the social media clip of one protester deciding what traffic to let by as she picks and chooses who can go before their slow march!

Figures released by the Met Police following a month of sustained protests by Just Stop Oil show that officers have been extracted from other policing priorities for the equivalent of almost 11,000 shifts in an operation that has so far cost more than £3.5m. 

The group launched three months of planned protest activity on 24 April, focused on a new tactic of ‘slow marching’ in the road to delay traffic and cause disruption to the public. 

As of 22 May, 78 such marches have taken place at locations across London. 

In 60 cases, officers determined that ‘serious disruption’ was being caused and have imposed conditions requiring the protestors to get out of the road. Serious disruption is the threshold in law that allows police to intervene. 

In the vast majority of cases, the imposition of conditions under Section 12 of the Public Order Act has been enough to bring the protests to an end. Where that hasn’t happened officers have stepped in to make arrests. So far 45 people have been arrested for breaching conditions imposed, including eight earlier today (24 May).

Sadly the important message behind this campaign is lost to the frustrations and anger London’s residents experience daily at their protests.

These officers are needed across London’s BCUs and these 11,000 shifts should have been spent out on the streets doing vital police work across our community.

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