Are UK Police preparing for serious unrest?

This is not an attempt to be alarmist, I simply want to know if anyone else has seen anything like this or can explain what these are. Thanks.

I'm not typlically one to over react to such things but I saw something this afternoon that did unerve me give the current climate and the planned demo's in London preceding and during the G20 conference.

This afternoon I was driving south towards London down the M6 motorway from Manchester when I passed a flatbed truck which was carrying about 40 or 50 what I can only described as riot or civil containment screens.

Unfortunately I was on the phone (hands free!) at the time so could not take a picture so will do my best to describe what I saw.

Each of these screens was stacked verticaly and looked like a oversized metal fence panel. I would estimate at approx 10' high x 12' wide. They were clearly brand new and made from a shiny metal (steel I guess) and were constructed like a fence panel with a metal frame surrounding the metal panel.

In the middle of each panel was a 'window' or observation hole made from perspex I guess about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Under the window was a sign, white writing on a dark blue background which read 'POLICE CORDON'.

I have searched the web for a picture of something similiar to no avail. I can honetly say I have not seen anything like this before and I can only assume that they are intended for some heavy duty protection and containment.

I only saw them for 2 or 3 seconds and was in a stream of traffic so could not get back to take another look, I am however sure about what I saw, especially the Police Cordon wording.

Anyone else seen these of got any ideas what they could be used for? If it is for the obvious then they must be anticipating some heavy duty trouble thats all I can say.

Thanks.

i think this is pretty obvious that they have to be prepared for everything.
but it is more less the same on every G something meeting.
nothing to be afraid of.
take care

Not personally concerned just shocked at the levels that they are clearly going to in preperation.

I just wished I had taken a picture then I guess people would have a better appreciation of what I saw.

reply to post by BarneyRubble


I am sure that it is also a training before the olympic games.
no worries.

There's a large protest ralley in London at the end of the month, (put people first, jobs,justice and climate) maybe they're expecting it to kick off. Or, more likely, maybe they're training up on just how to make sure it does kick off.

reply to post by BarneyRubble


possibly ... i read an article today saying there was mass protests in France ... maybe they're expecting the UK to grab ahold of the idea and protest as well...

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

Article 5

Plenty of stuff out there ... just an idea ... possibly bracing for the worst?

[edit on 19-3-2009 by baseball101]

they used a big portable fence/cage against the crowd during the G8 stuff in edinburgh, it had a vehicle sized cage in it where one door would open at a time to let vehicles or more police in but no one (even the elderly shoppers!?) out. It went up really quick too. They blocked of a street then split the group in two smaller ones into two lanes off of the main street we were on. Then they did the horse and riot shield combo. ie. the horse charge, people run away the guys with the shields run forward and make a wall and take ground. All pretty harmless fun/practise but i assume in London they'll be used to keep the mob from damaging anything apart from what's needed for the media 'event' being created. Nothing to worry about really just yet.

Except that those seem to be walls rather than fences ie. you can't see what's going on over the other side.

[edit on 19-3-2009 by ivycutler]

10 foot x 12 foot steel plate cordon barriers?

Damn! we'll need to hurl armour-piercing shoes to get through anything like that!

reply to post by Acidtastic

More likely that they are putting there people onto the streets disguised as protesters to start it off in the first place, make sure it happens etc

Originally posted by cropmuncher

More likely that they are putting there people onto the streets disguised as protesters to start it off in the first place, make sure it happens etc

I can guarantee that any sizeable throng will have plenty of police agent provocateurs ready to start trouble

Originally posted by cropmuncher
reply to post by Acidtastic

 

More likely that they are putting there people onto the streets disguised as protesters to start it off in the first place, make sure it happens etc

you know, I'm convinced I've seen this happen before. Not at a protest, but at a space hijackers covert party (where they "hijacked" the last 4 carriages on the circle line tube train, and held a big party for a few hundred people. The first couple of these went off really well, everyone did what they were supposed to do. "only part in the tunnels, be normal at the station as not to get rumbled. Well, on the last one I went on, there were a few people in each carriage, who kept on , whooping and ddancing and drinking,which resulted in everyone getting kicked off, and no doubt security photos taken of everyone there as they kept us (all 3 hundred or so people) on the platform for an hour (which was blatently unsafe from a police pov.) I'm convinced that these people were plod, cos I saw 2 of the girls in my carriage, talking to the police outside, once they'd let everyone out. (where we all congregated on the big roundabout at slone square and continued our party in the fountain )

[edit on 20/3/2009 by Acidtastic]

This very timely considering what I saw yesterday.

Known activists are planning in an "unprecedented" way ahead of next month's G20 summit in London, the Metropolitan Police have warned.

Police warn of G20 protest scale

Just the beginging I fear.