Cities across the UK, in particular London, are experiencing regular large-scale protests. Superintendent Jesse Wynne, public order lead for the City of London Police, provides advice and guidance for those responsible for security on how they can work with the police to prepare and respond if their premises are located in the midst of these protests.
Overall policing approach to protest
Peaceful protest is an important part of democracy, and police aim to facilitate and protect lawful assembly in accordance with the Human Rights Act, balancing this with public safety, crime prevention and minimising disruption.
The current operational demand for policing around protest is high and recurrent. Police aim to work in partnership with those involved, including the protest organisers and corporate security teams to keep people and property safe. The best-prepared sites understand the legal landscape, prepare their people and spaces practically, and collaborate closely with police and partners.
Key legal aspects of protest in 2026
Legal thresholds and proportionality are central to protest management. Under the Public Order Act 1986 conditions, the “serious” threshold applies, following court decisions that quashed the “more than minor” definition. This means all decision-making must remain necessary and proportionate under ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) Articles 9/10/11, and police powers can only be used when deemed fully justified.
New offences under the Public Order Act 2023, such as locking-on and infrastructure interference, now operate alongside powers like public nuisance, highway obstruction and aggravated trespass, with CPS guidance updated as recently as February 2026.
Serious Disruption Prevention Orders (SDPOs) give a path to impose tailored prohibitions or requirements on repeat serious disruptors.
Keeping up to date with planned protests
Make sure you are signed up to your local policing’s regular updates. For example, in the City of London, there is City Alert (www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wsi/watch-schemes-initiatives/as/city/city-alert/).
Be aware that static assemblies carry no legal duty to pre-notify the police, so not all events will be on the radar. You should also track authoritative local security feeds.
Understand notice rules
Where a protest is a procession, organisers should give six clear days’ notice (or as soon as practicable), but exceptions and spontaneity mean short notice remains possible.
Preparing your location
Follow this site-readiness checklist:
- Threat-led, proportionate security planning: Follow NPSA (National Protective Security Authority) and ProtectUK principles – risk-assess likely protest impacts; build defence-in-depth (deter, detect, delay, and response); align security plans with crowd safety and evacuation routes.
- Front-of-house hardening: Implement temporary façade and glazing protection; secure or stow movable street furniture; secure vehicle access management on likely routes; ensure CCTV coverage and evidence-retention policies are lawful and tested.
- Clear access/egress plans: Pre-agree staff routes, delivery holds, and customer communications for likely diversions; stage signage and wayfinding in a “lift-and-deploy” bundle for short-notice days (especially given recurring City-wide demand for diversions).
- Incident logging & evidence: Prepare an incident log template, time-synced with CCTV, to facilitate later information sharing with police/CPS under protest-offence frameworks.
- Governance guardrails: If you are monitoring what your staff post on social media or using tracking and analytics for protest-related risk, you must ensure compliance with the ICO’s (Information Commissioner’s Office) monitoring workers guidance, including carrying out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) where there is high risk, ensuring transparency and using the least intrusive means possible.
Preparing your security teams
Ongoing training and awareness for your security teams is vital in these areas:
- Legal awareness: Brief your security officers on what is and isn’t a police power. For example, police powers are stop and search, seizure, and dispersal, and the role of a security officer includes observation, deterrence, access control and incident reporting. Emphasise necessity, proportionality, and ECHR considerations that guide police decisions on conditions.
- Engagement & de-escalation first: Align with national protest operational advice from the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council for early, professional engagement; preserve space for peaceful protest; focus resources where harm/serious disruption risks emerge.
- Counter-reconnaissance and vigilance: Enable your staff to take the relevant SCaN (Scan, Check, Notify) training (available on the NPSA website: www.npsa.gov.uk/see-check-and-notify-scan) and to use SCaN-style observing/reporting and to take ACT e-learning ( on the ProtectUK website: (www.protectuk.police.uk/group/84). Integrate these guidelines with your venue procedures – they are helpful beyond terrorism for hostile reconnaissance around high-profile protests. If you are deploying body-worn video/CCTV, ensure policy, signage, retention and DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) are in place per ICO worker-monitoring guidance; keep it proportionate to risk.
Preparing your non-security colleagues
- Create and distribute a simple “what to do on the day” playbook. This should include who to call, how to shelter/relocate/close early, how to pause deliveries, and how to avoid engagement with protesters. (Align the content with the ProtectUK principles on security culture and vigilance.)
- Prepare communications lines: Pre-draft staff and customer messages for: “business open, but access restricted”, “temporary closure”, and “service delay due to protest”, Policing updates can provide live route intelligence to plug into messaging.
- Welfare: Remind colleagues of support routes. In particular, remind them that filming/photography in public is generally lawful; advise on privacy, and how to report concerns. However, if you do see people taking photos or filming your premises, entry and egress points, this may be suspicious, and should be reported.
Working with police – Before, During and After
Before
Share site risks and constraints with your neighbourhood policing teams. Provide key contacts, pinch-points, evacuation constraints and any critical operations time windows to facilitate Bronze–Silver–Gold planning, as laid out in national protest operational advice from the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council.
During
- Appoint an informed single point of contact to provide live updates to the on-site police commander: Use this named liaison to feed police real-time impacts (for example, crowding, near-misses, damage, or intimidation).
- Evidence preservation: Keep an incident log and preserve CCTV/notes to help assist any future investigations. For example, police may pursue offences such as public nuisance, highway obstruction, Public Order Act 2023 offences depending on proportionality.
After
Structured debrief: Participate in post-event reviews with local police and partners.
Superintendent Jesse Wynne
