BY comparing measures in the new policing bill to what the people of Ukraine are suffering is an insult to the people of Ukraine, both military and civilian.
As a representative of a political party Brian McDaid (speak out against plans to remove rights, Craven Herald letters, March 31) should know better, but then again the Labour Party struggles to collectively define the simple five letter word 'woman' so maybe it's not such a surprise.
In my 30 years working in London I too was at more protest marches and demonstrations than I care to remember.
However, I was there in a uniform dealing with the public order side of these events.
Yes, everyone has a right to protest, but in recent years much of this protest has been solely aimed at blocking up towns, cities and major roads rather than marching on a set route known to the Police so that officers can facilitate the event causing the least possible disruption to all concerned.
The aim of the new bill is to allow protest but to also allow non-protesters to still go about their lawful business unimpeded.
In my experience genuine protesters true to their particular cause are no problem, it is various factions that join these protests, quite often from the hard left, that hijack events for their own agenda which leads to outbreaks of public disorder.
When you have policed as many demonstrations as I have you get to see the same faces turning up all the time.
The cause is irrelevant to them, their aim is just to cause trouble. So let's get the bill into law so people with genuine concerns can voice their feelings in a lawful manner without the risk of the real cause being lost due to professional troublemakers criminalising the event.
Mr McDaid would do well to look at the Home Office fact sheet on the new bill on the Government website before running off at the mouth.
On a happier note, one exceptionally well behaved, pleasant protest march from almost 20 years ago in 2002 sticks in my mind, when people from all corners of rural Britain came to London for the Countryside March.
No trouble whatsoever and less litter on the route than before they started.
Paul Morley
Long Preston
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