Our approach to policing protests in South Wales

Protest activity is taking place on a weekly basis in the city centres of Cardiff and Swansea linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A policing response is in place to ensure that members of the public can go about their business safely.

The aim of our policing operation is to facilitate peaceful protest while minimising disruption to the wider public.

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.

Our policing presence aims to ensure that everyone can go about their business safely and that any protest activity is lawful and peaceful.

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 ongoing conflict in the Middle East and protest activity which we have seen in Cardiff and Swansea can contribute to fear and anxiety which is particularly felt by our Jewish and Muslim communities. The sight of large protest activity can also 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.