Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department gave to (a) the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, (b) constables and (c) sergeants ahead of the visit of Xi Jinping to the UK about potential protests during that visit.

Mike Penning

The operational policing of protests and demonstrations, including the use of police powers and search warrants, are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. The Metropolitan Police Service informed the Home Office on their operational plans to provide reassurance on the policing and security of the visit. The Metropolitan Police Service also liaised with Chinese counterparts as part of their operational planning.