"Stop abuse of the disabled"
Police have launched a campaign to protect disabled people from abuse while they are travelling on buses.
Leicestershire's Chief Constable Simon Cole said people with various disabilities have told his officers they are sometimes singled out for abuse on public transport.
Two of Leicestershire's largest bus companies, Arriva and First, have now agreed to display the Stamp It Out campaign poster in their vehicles.
Police hope the posters, which are part of a wider campaign to highlight hate crimes, will encourage victims and witnesses to come forward, to help bring perpetrators to justice.
Mr Cole, who speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers on disability issues, said: "If you carry out any consultation with people who have disabilities, they will tell you about problems they have experienced on public transport.
"This has a knock-on effect on their lives which the rest of us should be ashamed of.
"Public transport puts people who don't know each other in a confined space and that sometimes leads to incidents.
"This campaign will raise awareness of this issue and encourage people to report any bullying or harassment incidents to us and we will do something about it.
"The campaign is called Stamp It Out for a good reason. There is no place for any form of hate crime in Leicester."
A number of people who use services provided by learning disability charity Mencap attended yesterday's launch in Upper Brown Street, Leicester city centre.
They also spoke of their own experiences of bullying while using public transport.
Darren Bakewell, 48, of Braunstone, Leicester, said: "I was abused on a bus once. A man pushed me off and I fell on the ground.
"I was hurt and didn't know what to do, but a woman who was on the bus and had seen what happened called the police for me.
"The police dealt with him for what he had done to me."
Ranjit Singh, 46, who lives in the Narborough Road area of Leicester, said: "It is important the police take this seriously – everyone should be able to travel on a bus in peace."
Steve Smith, area business manager for Arriva in Leicestershire, said: "We're urging all bus companies, their workers and passengers to be community spirited and report any abuse experienced on buses, whether directed at them or another person."
Deputy city mayor Rory Palmer said: "There is no place for anti-social behaviour on buses or anywhere else.
"Abusive and bullying behaviour will not be tolerated.
"By working together in partnership, across the council, police and transport providers, we will stamp out this unacceptable behaviour."To report hate crime, contact Leicestershire police on 101 or, in an emergency, 999.
Alternatively, you can visit: www.stamp-it-out.co.uk
I posted about my own experience of this launch event on the blog yesterday. I can be seen in the photo above - if you know what you're looking for!
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Government to hear plea on cost of policing EDL march
MP Keith Vaz and Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole are to meet Government minister Nick Herbert to discuss the cost of policing last weekend's English Defence League march.
As previously reported by the Mercury, the Leicestershire force faces a bill of at least £800,000 for protests by the EDL and Unite Against Fascism last weekend.
The final bill could be even higher when planning and preparations in the run-up to the day itself are taken into account.
Leicester East MP Mr Vaz said it was "unfair" that the entire cost for the policing operation lay at the door of the county force, which has had to save millions of pounds from its budget because of Government spending cuts.
He raised the issue, along with his concern at the impact on frontline policing from budget cuts, with policing minister Mr Herbert during the Police Grants debate in the House of Commons.
Speaking after the debate, he said: "Leicestershire Constabulary, like others in the country, is facing serious cuts to its budget in light of the Government's deficit reduction programme.
"It is highly unfair that the £800,000 bill for policing the march should have to be met by the Leicestershire police force.
"I am delighted that policing minister Nick Herbert has agreed to meet with me on this issue."
Chief Constable Simon Cole has also accepted an invitation from Mr Vaz to meet him and the minister.
A police spokesman said: "The chief constable has been invited to meet with Mr Vaz and Mr Herbert to discuss the issues surrounding the cost of policing these kinds of protest marches and the implications for police resources."
About 700 people took part in the EDL march on Saturday, February 4, while police said 200 joined the Leicester Unite Against Fascism's counter protest on a separate route.
The chief constable put 2,200 officers on the streets on the day, with most of the operation costs coming from the need to bring in police from 16 other forces.
The Leicestershire force was praised for its handling of the potentially volatile affair and there were no arrests.
Although the police are entitled to a financial contribution from football clubs such as Leicester City for policing home games, that is not currently the case with protests involving loosely-affiliated groups such as the EDL.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Ministers regularly conduct private meetings with MPs to discuss any issues or concerns."
Writing in a First Person column in the Mercury, earlier this week, Mr Cole said: "It is not for the police to set the laws, but I do think that there needs to be some reflection about the costs and expectations placed on police forces as we are currently paying, on your behalf, the price of free speech.
"That price is significant, and it is paid with the money paid in through taxes by us all."
A reasonable price to pay for freedom of speech?
In the wake of the EDL visit, the Chief Constable Simon Cole asks a vital question
As Chief Constable, every day I set about spending your money wisely to protect communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Over the course of the year I spend more than £175 million.
Most of that money is spent on police officers and police staff who carry out many and varied roles. Some of those are highly visible that you may see out in your community, others are attached to departments combining a wide range of specialist skills to create a diverse police force that provides a professional service to all.
No matter what role my colleagues undertake I am proud to say that they are not afraid to put themselves on the line to protect you.
Last Saturday, I spent rather more money than on an average day. In broad figures I will have spent somewhere in the region of £800,000 in dealing with the protests in the city that day and ensuring contingencies were available throughout Leicestershire and Rutland.
Of course, the actual cost is much more than that because in the weeks leading up to the event we have focused our efforts into planning and preparation for the protests as have our colleagues in the city council and other agencies.
I am sure that you would expect nothing less than for us to prepare in a professional way, but being diverted away from some of our other priorities is less than ideal. It is also unavoidable.
Of course, it is for the police to walk the line that our oath requires us to walk, and that we choose to take. Officers swear to serve the Queen without fear or favour, and in doing so we simply must respect and enforce the law.
Parliament, on behalf of us all, has put a high price on the right to free speech and this is supported by rights of assembly and protest. In relatively recent history we know that people gave their lives to protect the right to free speech in a series of brutal wars. The price that we are currently paying is considerably less. But we are paying it nonetheless and for Saturday it will mean a bill that will be met from local police funds.
It is not for the police to set the laws, but I do think that there needs to be some reflection about the costs and expectations placed on police forces as we are currently paying, on your behalf, the price of free speech. That price is significant, and it is paid with the money paid in through taxes by us all. My question is whether, in an age of austerity, the price is a reasonable one to pay and how much should event organisers contribute?
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
EDL/UAF policing bill set to top £800,000
Police face a bill of at least £800,000 for Saturday's protests in Leicester by the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism.
Chief Constable Simon Cole, writing for the Leicester Mercury's First Person column today, confirmed that the cost to the force of Saturday's demonstrations was roughly the same as it faced when the EDL came to the city in October 2010.
Mr Cole, whose force is having to cut millions of pounds from its budget because of spending cuts, said: "I am sure you would expect nothing less than for us to prepare in a professional way, but being diverted away from some of our other priorities is less than ideal."
Most of the bill was from bringing in police from 16 other forces.
Mr Cole, who put 2,200 officers on the streets on Saturday, also questioned whether, in general, protest groups should be required to contribute toward the cost of policing their demonstrations.
Businesses are also counting the cost.
Highcross general manager Jo Tallack said shopper numbers were down from about 80,000 on a normal Saturday to fewer than 50,000.However, she said: "There wasn't the fear of the unknown this time and retailers were able to plan ahead because of the way it was handled by the police and the council.
"We would rather these events had not happened because, commercially, they have not helped Leicester."
At the Haymarket Centre, manager Phil Toyne also praised police but reported the total of 20,000 shoppers on Saturday was 60 per cent down.
Market traders chose to stay away for the day.
One said: "I didn't think it would be worth opening the stall because town was always going to be dead.
"I walked into town on the day and I'd say we all made the right decision."
A retailer in The Lanes said the decision to close for the day had cost a potential £2,500 in earnings.
She said: "Things are bad at the moment for many retailers and we can't let things like this happen again."
Leicester City Council was still calculating its final bill.
In 2010 it spent almost £140,000 – largely for organising free diversionary activities for young people and families.
On Saturday, 1,800 people took up the offer of free swimming, almost 700 visited youth centres and 1,300 went to their library.
The cost to the council is expected to be lower than last time because on this occasion it did not organise a community event the day after the protests and did not pay for dozens of shops, businesses and bus shelters to be boarded up.
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
A job well done
Police have been widely praised for their handling of Saturday's English Defence League march and the counter protest by Unite Against Fascism.
Senior officers have confirmed there were no arrests linked to the two marches and – despite several brief skirmishes – the day had passed without a repeat of the violence which broke out when the EDL visited the city in October 2010.
However, traders said their takings would be hit hard as many shoppers stayed away.
Police and city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said their decision to allocate separate routes to both groups in an attempt to reduce opportunities for confrontation had been vindicated.
Sir Peter, who has faced criticism for not seeking to ban the EDL march, said: "Allowing the march to go ahead was clearly the right call. When the EDL came to Leicester in 2010, the city centre was effectively shut down as a result.
"This time around there has been far less disruption, and the entire march has been kept under tight control by the police.
"I'm enormously impressed by how this was handled.
"Of course, having the EDL march through our city wasn't desirable, and of course we didn't want it, but my biggest concern was making sure that the people of the city faced the least disruption possible, and were kept safe."
About 700 people took part in the EDL's march, while 200 joined Leicester Unite Against Fascism on its route, according to police.However, both groups immediately disputed these figures – with the EDL claiming it had brought more than 1,000 supporters and Leicester Unite Against Fascism saying its protest was supported by more than 700 – mostly local – people.
Suleman Nagdi, of the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, said the police and mayor had handled the protests well. Mr Nagdi, who said faith leaders had also contributed to the effort to ensure the marches passed without serious incident, said: "The collective effort of all of us in helping to minimise disruption to our great city showed once again the strength of our unity in Leicester."
City councillor Manjula Sood, chairwoman of the Leicester Council of Faiths, said: "The protest caused a lot of anxiety and worry, but the police worked hard assuring everyone they would be strict with the EDL."The police worked very well with the city's communities, especially the Muslim community that was the target of the protest.
"There wasn't trouble and I think that sent a strong message that Leicester will always be united and stand in solidarity."
The police could have applied to the Home Office for an order which would have outlawed the EDL march, but could not have prevented a 'static' protest of the sort it staged when it last came to Leicester.
Senior officers, who had put more than 2,000 police on to the streets for the day, said their tactic of containing marchers at all times had paid off.
Chief constable Simon Cole said: "The success of the operation is due to a number of factors, not least the support from the city council and the co-operation of the Leicester public.
"The planning for this day began just two weeks ago with many officers and staff working extremely long hours working out the logistics, meeting with other force colleagues, partners, businesses and community leaders to name but a few."
This is the official communication sent from Leicestershire Police on their Neighbourhood Alert network about events yesterday in Leicester city centre
No arrests during city centre protests
Leicestershire Police Chief Constable Simon Cole has sent a public thank you to the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for their support in ensuring today’s marches in the city centre passed peacefully.
Around 700 supporters from the English Defence League (EDL) and 200 from Leicester Unite Against Fascism (UAF) carried out separate marches in the city centre.
There were no arrests directly connected to the marches.
Mr Cole said: “The success of the operation is due to a number of factors, not least the support from Leicester City Council in preparing the city for today’s event and the co-operation of the Leicester public.
“The planning for this day began just two weeks ago with many officers and staff working extremely long hours working out the logistics, meeting with other Force colleagues, partners, businesses, community leaders to name but a few.
“Today more than 2,000 officers and staff were involved in policing the marches joined by colleagues from 17 others forces and to those we owe a huge debt of thanks for their support.”
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: "Today has passed without major incident and is a real testament to everyone involved - from the police and retailers to our own council officers.
"Whereas the last visit from the EDL ended in violence and the city being brought to a standstill, this year it has largely been business as usual.
“This goes to show that allowing the EDL and UAF to march was the right thing to do.
"The city has proven it takes more than a demonstration like this to pull our communities apart and that when the going gets tough, the city unites.
"It is now important to get our city back to normal. The Leicester Comedy Festival is in full swing and on Tuesday the city will be hosting the second Big Eat.
"I'd encourage residents to come into the city and take part to show that Leicester is a peaceful and warm city, with something for everyone."
Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, city commander, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the way our communities in Leicester and local businesses have responded to the challenges of today.
“We appreciate the support we have received from the community and can now begin to get the city back to normal.”
During the morning some of the protesters stopped at towns in Leicestershire on their way into the city but there was a policing operation in place across Leicestershire and Rutland to deal with this.
Chief Inspector Sanjiv Pattani, who was part of the team policing the wider counties today, said: “There was a gathering of around 300 EDL supporters in the Nottingham Road area of Loughborough.The supporters were good natured.
There were no incidents of disorder in anywhere the in the county [sic] and we would like to thank local people and businesses for their patience and support during the operation.
“We tried to keep people updated throughout the day and sent regular messages to nominated community members. This was well received and people told us they were grateful for being kept informed.”
Police fear protestors plan to attack Leicester mosque
Police fear protesters plan to attack a city mosque before marching into the heart of Leicester's Muslim community.
Concerns were voiced by Chief Constable Simon Cole in a report to Leicester City Council about the planned march by the English Defence League on October 9.
The Chief Constable said that an intelligence and threat assessment indicated a "major threat" to public order.
His report said: "Intelligence dated September 8, 2010, indicated that the EDL intend to come to Leicester and attack a mosque before marching into the Highfields area, which represents the highest resident population of the Muslim community.
"This reflects previous intentions of EDL processions, such as that within Leicester, where actions were targeted to cause disruption to the Muslim community by provoking serious public disorder."
Leicester City Cabinet yesterday agreed to apply to the Home Office to ban the planned procession under the Public Order Act 1986.
However, the EDL, in a statement, rejected the police claims.
EDL event organiser Guramit Singh said: "We are coming to Leicester to peacefully demonstrate and we denounce attacks on any mosques.
We are here to fight militant Islam, not moderate Islam. The intelligence provided by the police is incorrect."
The EDL submitted an application to march through the city to police this week. United Against Fascism has applied to hold a counter-demonstration on the same day.
Up to 5,000 people could take part in the rival protests.
If the Home Office agrees to ban the EDL march, the group could still hold a static protest, which the authorities would be powerless to prevent taking place.
Muslim groups said they were concerned by the police intelligence reports.
Suleman Nagdi, chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "An attack on a place of worship is an attack on us all, the relationship and resilience among Leicester's faith communities is very strong and we are confident that this will not break our unity."
Ibrahim Mogra, associate Imam at Evington Muslim Centre, said: "The news of a planned attack is very worrying. There have been a number of mosques up and down the country that have suffered attacks at the hands of far-right groups. Everything possible needs to be done to prevent that."
Speaking after the meeting, city council leader Veejay Patel said the council was determined to secure a ban on the march.
He said: "The evidence we are now able to put to the Home Secretary shows overwhelmingly that this march will bring massive disruption – and possibly violence – to Leicester, and therefore it should not be allowed to take place."
The city's three MPs, who were present at yesterday's meeting, said in a joint statement: "The EDL cannot and will not affect Leicester's long and proud history of community cohesion which the city council, voluntary, community and faith groups, local public services and businesses have all worked hard to build and maintain."
After the meeting, Leicester East MP Keith Vaz said: "I have directly contacted the Home Secretary Theresa May to emphasise the strength of feeling here in our city. All three Leicester MPs will be lobbying her directly on this issue."
Leicester West MP Liz Kendall said: "It is a massive decision to attempt to ban a group's right to protest, but it's the only option available."
In a report on the proposed English Defence League march in Thursday's Leicester Mercury, we reported that campaign group Hope Not Hate was planning a counter demonstration.
We have been asked to point out that Hope Not Hate is, in fact, hoping to hold a peace vigil the night before the proposed EDL protest and is not planning a counter demonstration.
It is also involved in plans for a celebration of the city, which is scheduled to take place a day after the EDL event on Saturday, October 9. We are happy to clarify the situation.
