Policing operation in place ahead of Bristol protest

A policing operation has been stood up ahead of a protest and counter-protest planned in Bristol city centre tomorrow (7 September).

Officers will be in the Bond Street area from Sunday morning to enable peaceful protest to take place, following our well-tested plans.

A dispersal zone has been authorised for the city centre, as shown in the map below, under Section 34/35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

This will be in place from 7am on Sunday until 7am on Monday (8 September) and gives police officers power to move people on if they are causing – or are likely to cause – harassment, alarm or distress to other people.

Chief Inspector Serena Serjeant, of the Bristol Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This operation will be similar to other successful policing operations in the city centre in recent weeks.

“Our aim is to enable peaceful protest to take place, but we will step in the event of any criminality.

“We’ve been in close contact with our partners and stakeholders and will continue to keep them updated. Anyone with any concerns is also welcome to speak to an officer.

Ch Insp Serjeant added:“There could be disruption to the road network in the surrounding area while the protest takes place so we’d advise anyone planning to travel to plan their journeys in advance.”