Dorset Police have facilitated the two protests along the Esplanade in Weymouth this afternoon and into this evening, balancing the right to protest with minimising disruption to communities.
A highly visible presence with a significant number of resources from Dorset Police as well as officers from Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire were deployed to the area to ensure the demonstrations were safe and legal – with protesters having now dispersed and left the area.
During the evening three arrests were made with an additional two dispersal orders made against two 15-year-olds from the local area. Arrests were:
- A 42-year-old man from Yeovil was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.
- A 62-year-old man from Yeovil was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
- A 27-year-old man from Weymouth was arrested for assault.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said: “We have been liaising with the organisers of both groups in the build up to the event to ensure people can exercise their right to protest without causing significant or ongoing disruption.
“There were rumours circulating that asylum seekers currently housed on the Bibby Stockholm would be moved to Portland, Weymouth or the wider Dorset Council area but the Home Office have confirmed this is not the case. In addition, there are no asylum seekers housed in hotels in the Weymouth area.
“Our approach to this operation was to enable peaceful protests, but if people were intent on committing public order or criminal offences, they would be dealt with robustly as such behaviours would not be tolerated and this is the style of policing that we have delivered and what our communities expect.
“I am disappointed that two of our officers were sadly injured during the operation – one was hit in the face by a bottle thrown at our officers and another was punched to the face. We will be reviewing evidence to bring the offenders of these two incidents to justice.
“Local residents spoke positively to our officers deployed in the area, praising their professionalism during the protests and I would like to thank those who positively engaged with our teams. I would like to extend my thanks to those officers and our wider teams who have maintained our response to communities across the county.
“I am incredibly proud of how our officers and staff have ensured we continue to deliver a safe Dorset while ensuring our communities are safe and feel safe.”
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