Police Working With Partners to Try and Save Havering’s St George’s Day Parades.

In response to yesterday’s article in the Havering Daily on the possible cancellation of the St George’s Day parade, the Metropolitan Police have moved to clarify their position and the role they play in supporting local events.

The potential cancellation of the long-standing parade has caused understandable concern and upset across the Havering community, where the annual celebration has been a cherished tradition for many years.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told the Havering Daily:

“We fully support the Scouts’ Saint George’s Day parade in Havering and understand how important it is to the local community. We are continuing to work closely with local partners in the hope that the event can take place.

“In line with national policing guidance, responsibilities such as road closures sit with the event organisers and local authorities, allowing our officers to focus on wider safety issues, risks and responding to emergencies.”

The force has stressed that the issue does not relate to a lack of willingness from local neighbourhood officers to support the event. Instead, requests of this nature are considered by a specialist events policing team that manages police resources for planned public events.

This year, due to pressures on available resources, the team is not able to provide the same level of support for road closures that has been seen in previous years. It is important to emphasise that this was not a decision taken by local officers, many of whom have long supported community events such as the St George’s Day parade.

National guidance also sets clear limits on the role police forces should play when it comes to organising events.

Under the Road Traffic Regulation (Special Events) Act 1994, temporary traffic restrictions for events can be put in place, but responsibility for arranging and managing road closures typically sits with event organisers and local authorities. Traffic Regulation Orders can be issued by councils to manage vehicle movement and ensure public safety during events.

Guidance from the College of Policing also makes clear that police forces should not assume the roles, responsibilities or liabilities of event organisers. Instead, officers are expected to focus on their core duties of maintaining the peace, preventing crime and disorder, and keeping the public safe.

The possible cancellation of the St George’s Day parade has therefore sparked wider debate about how traditional community events can continue in the future amid tightening resources and evolving national policing guidance.

Police say they will continue to work with partners in the hope that a solution can be found that allows the parade to take place safely.

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