Policing protests: South Wales Police’s approach

Protest activity has been taking place on a regular basis in the city centres of Cardiff and Swansea, as well as in some towns across South Wales.

These have been linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Following events in Southport, additional protest activity has been planned and advertised for locations in south Wales.

Policing protest activity is complex, particularly when there is the extra dimension of thousands of people visiting the city centres at weekends and for major events.

South Wales Police supports the right for people to make their voices heard through protest providing it is done lawfully. Decisions about how to police protests require consideration of complex and often competing rights and issues.

Whenever a protest is organised, a policing operation will be in effect and we will be working to ensure that they take place safely, lawfully with minimum disruption to the wider public, who should be able to go about their business safely. 

We have no reason to expect disorder but will deal robustly with anyone who chooses to commit criminal offences such as violence and damage.

Police Liaison Officers, who can be identified by their blue protest liaison tabards, are deployed to engage with people taking part in the protest.

These officers are specially trained to engage with and ensure the flow of information between police officers, crowd members and other individuals at all times during the event in order to support public safety and the effective running of a peaceful protest. We encourage those taking part in the protests to engage with these officers so we can understand their intentions and concerns, we can then assist them in facilitating their protest in a way that their voice can be heard whilst also balancing the needs of the wider community.

We are aware that the sight of large protest activity can be intimidating for the general public going about their daily lives.

This is why we strive to strike a balance in our policing approach and take measures to ensure that the rights of all parties are respected and upheld.

However, we will take action against anyone who breaks the law, whether this is at the time of the offence or retrospectively.

South Wales Police is open to dialogue and collaboration with advocacy groups to address any concerns about the policing of protest activity and ensure that policing practices reflect the values of fairness, equality, and justice.