Police: Protests — Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:00 pm on 21 April 2009.

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Photo of Lord Dear Lord Dear Crossbench 3:00, 21 April 2009

My Lords, is the Minister aware that most of the world's developed countries, when dealing with serious public disorder, do not rely solely on uniformed police in close or face-to-face contact with the demonstrators? In those countries, as we know, unrest or disorder, as it escalates, is met with other responses—CS gas, baton rounds or water cannon, and so on. In the light of that, can the Minister reassure your Lordships' House that all of those options will be explored in the forthcoming review? For the record, I do not personally applaud those methods, but the Minister may agree that a through review of the pros and cons of those options will equip us better to comment on our present approach, with all its advantages and disadvantages.