This is about time...

Seems like post G20 joy as well as wonderful incidents at the protest held over Ian Tomlinson's death have triggered a response from the Met who are reviewing their tactics. I can understand that the police in both situations would have felt VERY pressured and under threat but also in many of the (admittedly biased and somewhat lacking context) videos that have being doing the rounds you do wonder what the hell they were thinking.

In any situation it should be obvious that there will be some people looking for a reason for a fight, even if there isn't and all they are doing is being loud, threatening idiots you still don't hit them.

The BBC report has a few disturbing quotes as well; a personal favourite is from Kit Malthouse who praises the Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, on his swift action in requesting a review. Call me a harse but swift would have been when Ian Tomlinson died - not two weeks after the event. Even accepting that for a few days it was unclear the exact details something had gone wrong and it should have prompted some form of review..... or maybe thats just me?

The best quote of the entire piece has to be from Sir Paul:
"The public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officer whilst performing their duty."

This seems, just a little, at odds with section 76 counter-terrorism act 2008 which states that
"A person commits an offence who—
(a) elicits or attempts to elicit information about an individual who is or has been--
[sic]
(iii) a constable"
while this hasn't come to court (yet) it has been mooted in several places that it means you cannot photograph police constables....

Anyway the whole thing looks like it could go either way and given that this is likely the first of many more riotous protests we will probably see while the recession runs it course hopefully the whole thing will go down a slightly more sane route....

or the police could continue as they are.

Also of interest always makes me smile to see the bbc using youtube as a source.