At least 20 asylum seekers’ hotels could be the focus of demonstrations and counter-rallies over migration
Three thousand riot officers will be deployed and placed on standby amid concerns a string of anti-asylum seeker protests and counter-protests this weekend could lead to violence and disorder.
Police commanders at a national level have made the decision. It is the first time since last summer’s riots that there has been a mass and national standing up of specialist public order officers.
Some of the extra riot officers will be deployed on the streets, kitted out in helmets and shields to act as a deterrent. Others will be held in reserve and all will be on standby to be rushed across England and Wales to “hotspots” of violence and rising tension, a police source with knowledge of the planning for this weekend said.
The same source stressed there was no specific intelligence of violence, but 800 extra riot officers were ordered to be made ready on Friday, on top of the 2,200 planned already.
