I didn't witness Mayor Johnson's first public utterance about the policing of the G20 protests of 1st and 2nd April - yes, that's nearly three weeks of silence, except for a couple of anodyne statements issued through his press office. Helene was there, though. The occasion was the launch of the London Domestic Violence Strategy (itself a contentious matter and one I'll return to). It saw the Mayor in the company of Met chief Sir Paul Stephenson, who's been keeping his head down lately too.
It seems that, as you'd expect, a hymn sheet was being scrupulously shared, with both men urged that the "disturbing" images captured by citizen journalists be assessed in the context of the complexity and difficulty of the whole G20 operation. This was consistent with the existing line and, up to a point, fair enough: it would certainly be wrong to damn every copper at the demo in the light of those "disturbing" images.
Yet I cannot shake the feeling that the pair of them are playing a damage limitation game while waiting and hoping for the furore to die down. Should we blame them? Sir Paul can hardly be expected not to defend the service he's only just been put in charge of. The Mayor can hardly be expected not to harmonise with Sir Paul, who he wanted in the top job. Expecting either to speak too loudly or critically of the unhappily-named Operation Glencoe would have been naive. That said, this tactical defensive posture won't do for long.
Despite the finding of today's ICM poll for the Guardian that 59% of Britons thought the Met had used too much force, Johnson said he wasn't convinced that public confidence in the police has been damaged. Perhaps it will indeed prove temporary, but others with a close interest in this matter have not been taking that for granted.
Denis O'Connor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary who will be conducting the review requested by Stephenson into police crowd control tactics, told the Commons home affairs select committee this morning that the use of "kettling" - confining all protesters within a small space for hours on end - would need to be "looked at to see what it achieves, and also [its] cost…particularly if it is used inflexibly." On the CJs' videos he went a little further than the Mayor or Sir Paul appear to have done, saying they had shown "unacceptable behaviour".
Later, on The World at One O'Connor said that such images alarmed the public because they suggested that our policing is "departing from the British way," by which he meant "the minimum use of force." And when he spoke of context, he said "we will have to see whether it's just a few individuals or something deeper and wider."
My suspicion about the Mayor's and the Commissioner's remarks this morning is that they're hoping a "few individuals" can be blamed. My hope is that by "deeper and wider" O'Connor means something more than considering the implications of "kettling" as a method, essential though that is. I want him to include the broader police culture within his definition of "context". I'd like Sir Paul and the Mayor to do the same. In that respect I agree with Simon Jenkins, writing in the Standard today:
Stephenson has indicated a desire to re-establish public support for the Met, including the re‑introduction of single-handed beat policing. Since his three predecessors all promised that, it will be a good test of his leadership...
Johnson should seize the moment. He should demand the disbanding of the TSG and put its macho troops on the beat where they belong. There they can reassure the public of the presence of order and help prevent real crime, rather than roam London looking for aggro and helping create it.
It's too early to expect such a bold move, but Boris ought at least to be thinking about it. My worry is that it's the last thing on his mind.
