Police warned a day before Dover protest, force says

Kent Police has said it was made aware of the potential for protests in Dover the day before they took place but information "was not fully assessed".

A large group of protesters dressed in black and wearing balaclavas blocked access to the Port of Dover on Saturday for several hours, with witnesses hearing them chanting "stop the boats".

Kent Police had previously said it did not know about the demonstration in advance, leading to accusations of a failure in intelligence-gathering.

Earlier, the force said an initial review found it had received non-emergency information late on Friday evening which "may have allowed the force to consider its resourcing", but did not share what it was told.

A force spokesperson said: "The protest organisers adopted a different approach to previous protests, and as part of our commitment to public safety we have examined our decision-making to identify any lessons, to ensure we are well prepared for future events organised in a similar way.

"During that initial review, we found the force had received non-emergency information late on Friday evening that a protest could take place in the town the following day.

"This information was not fully assessed. If it was, it may have allowed the force to consider its resourcing."

Kent Police previously said the protest was "spontaneous", and it did not have any intelligence to suggest a demonstration was going to happen.

Dover District Council deputy keader Edward Biggs called the announcement from Kent Police "very worrying" and "really poor".

He added: "It's very disappointing. We rely on the police providing us information so that we can inform the community and take whatever steps we need to take."

Kent Police said the information it received "would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community".

It said it had asked the College of Policing to independently examine the processes involved, so it can learn from its response.

Demonstrators told the BBC on Saturday they did not want to talk to the media, although one said "send them back" and another said "stop the boats" when approached.

No arrests were made on the day of the protest, police said previously.

Although no boats arrived on Saturday, eight did on Sunday, carrying 625 people, Home Office figures revealed.

The day after the protest, several officers were injured and vehicles damaged in Portsmouth at a demonstration sparked by the arrival of 120 migrants.

Both protests have been linked to Danny Thomas, a long-term campaigner against migrants more commonly known as Danny Tommo.

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