Community Policing and Peaceful Protest

Inspector Paul Firth attended the meeting of Hafod Action Group tonight, answered questions and explained how he sees things.

In spite of several brave attempts by members of the group to explain the community's concern over traffic issues and road safety, Paul continued to make comments demonstrating that he totally misunderstands people's motivation for reporting traffic offences.

Everyone who spoke talked of the risks to other road users caused by these infringements and their general concern that no-one should be killed or injured on the road as a result of traffic offences linked with the quarry. Paul Firth appeared not to be listening:

"Ladies and gents, reporting all these traffic infringements won't get the quarry closed," he countered. Several people tried to explain that traffic issues around the quarry are their concern because they live in the local community and don't want their local roads to become death traps, but that wasn't going to change Paul's view of how things are:

"It feels like we [the police] are being put into a position where we are the only ones who are going to put an end to tipping." This, in spite of the fact that he had sat through the meeting on Saturday with Karen and Martyn listening to a whole range of concerns, including many which were not police matters. He continued with a warning:

"You should be aware that we haven't been able to police drugs issues and burglaries in the area because the police are down there [at the quarry]." Some members challenged Paul to justify over-policing incidents, such as the three police officers who had been sent to police six peaceful protesters, and who stayed at the site gate for far longer than necessary to establish they weren't needed. People were too polite to raise the issue of the 14 police officers sent to police the protest on Monday. Paul now denies saying that he only has 4 officers to police 250 square miles in his patch. He did though. We heard him.

One of the many pieces of foam littering the roadway from the quarry right down onto the by-pass and causing drivers to swerve dangerously to avoid what look for all the world like large pieces of rock (this one was about 4" high).

Anyway, Paul has been into Hafod Quarry today to slap the wrists of Murkey Waste bosses, to tell them to leave the camera at the gate on 24/7 (although we all know that the most useful footage on CCTV has a habit of mysteriously disappearing when it's most needed) and to warn them that they've got to clean up their act or they'll "get it in the neck". He asked us to quote this phrase.

In order to deal with traffic infringements by wagon drivers and the sweeping vehicle, the police need EVIDENCE. Dates, times, number plates, witnesses, photos, video footage. Please report all future infringements to the police with as much accompanying evidence as possible.

When is a peaceful protest not a peaceful protest? Paul Firth is of the view that anything which stops Mersey Waste carrying out its lawful [even though we know it's not] business for even a few minutes is not peaceful protest. He needs to go and look at the long and illustrious history of civil disobedience by pacifists in this country and worldwide. In the face of grave injustices perpetrated or condoned by the state, when the systems of the state fail to rectify such injustices, good citizens have frequently taken action. Direct action is not incompatible with peaceful protest.