Met Police 'building relationships' over illegal street parties - BBC News

Police are "building relationships" with communities after more illegal street parties were held in London, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Met Commander Bas Javid said the majority of interactions with the police at events had been "positive".

It comes as officers broke up an event on Harrow Road, Kensal Town, on Friday following complaints from residents.

A group then moved on to nearby Maida Vale and did not disperse until after midnight.

Officers have been called to illegal street parties across London in the past month.

On Wednesday, more than 20 police officers were injured during clashes at an illegal street party in Brixton and on Thursday night, officers were pelted with objects while trying to disperse a party in Notting Hill.

One man, who attended the event in Notting Hill but did not want to be named, said it had mainly had a "relaxed vibe".

"Everyone's been in lockdown for two months, everyone wants to just come out and enjoy. It's nice weather as well - people can't stay in their house in this kind of weather," he said.

But one man, who lives in Notting Hill, said: "With social distancing everyone wants to come out drink etc but come around the evening time it's just been rowdy with too many people and it's just been disturbing the residents, me and my family."

Mr Javid said officers were "doing a very good job in some difficult circumstances".

He told BBC Breakfast: "The first line is engagement and building relationships, and you don't do that by walking into every situation with riot helmets and shields.

"We need to build relationships, we need to make sure we engage effectively with communities and we're only as good or as effective as our relationship with those communities. "

Mr Javid added: "We're not going to arrest our way out of the situations like this, but what I can be clear about is if these situations do descend into chaos and violence and disorder, which is completely unacceptable, we will take a much more thorough and robust position.

"It's the communities that are very, very upset by this, as much as the police are. This is much more about the impact it's having on those communities that these people live in."

'Plain violent'

Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the force had a "duty" to stop unlawful music events during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said the number of police injured was now "heading up to 140-odd officers" in the past three weeks, including those hurt during protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the US.

Ms Dick said: "We have seen some large numbers of people completely flouting the health regulations, seeming not to care at all about their own or their families' health and wanting to have large parties.

"It is hot. Some people have drunk far too much. Some people are just angry and aggressive and some people are plain violent."

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiNWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtbG9uZG9uLTUzMjAzODMy0gE5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtbG9uZG9uLTUzMjAzODMy?oc=5

2020-06-27 10:55:30Z
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