Avon and Somerset Police Deputy Chief Constable, Jon Reilly, issues statement following Bristol protests

Watch Avon and Somerset Police Deputy Chief Constable, Jon Reilly, issues statement following Bristol protests - Tindle News on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00I wanted to start by saying the incidents of disorder we've seen take

00:04place across the country recently, including in Bristol on Saturday, are

00:08completely unacceptable. These are not legitimate protests and we will not

00:12tolerate any behaviour which attempts to divide our communities. We're aware of

00:17posts circulating online calling for people to gather in Bristol tomorrow

00:21night and I want to reassure you we'll have significant resources in place to

00:25maintain order and keep people safe. Some of these posts also claim we've

00:30issued a warning about a planned march along Stapleton Road. This is not true.

00:34We've not issued any warning and have no information to suggest any march will

00:39actually take place. We'd never want to stifle legitimate protest. It's a

00:43fundamental democratic right. However, I urge people to let the police deal with

00:48those who want to cause unrest. I promise you we will take the strongest possible

00:52action against those who take part in criminality. We won't accept acts of

00:57violence, damage to property or offences which are motivated by hate. Indeed

01:01multiple people were arrested following the events in Bristol at the weekend and

01:05several of those have already been charged and appeared in court. We're

01:10aware many people remain concerned about the potential for disorder on Wednesday

01:13and in the days and weeks to come, but I want to reassure you we've hundreds of

01:17specialist officers and resources available and they will do everything

01:21they can to ensure our communities are not disrupted and can go about their

01:25lives as normal without fear. We're working closely with colleagues in other

01:30emergency services and our local authorities and together we're reaching

01:34out to community and business leaders. We're committed to keeping people

01:38informed about what we know about future disruption and on any plans we

01:43subsequently put in place. We're extremely proud to serve the diverse

01:48communities of Avon and Somerset and we continue to be thankful for the public

01:52support during these troubling and unusual times, but I want to be really

01:56clear those who seek to cause unrest will not win.