Britain may use water cannon on protesters

Theresa May, Britain's Home Secretary, has refused to rule out the use of water cannon for the first time in Britain if future student demonstrations result in further violence.

There were renewed demands yesterday for an urgent rethink of the policing of student protests as the Government admitted that even more severe methods of clamping down on demonstrators could be used. Police have been repeatedly criticised for their use of "kettling" to contain protesters. However, the Home Secretary suggested that tougher measures could be used by police after last week's violent clashes.

She refused to rule out the use of water cannon, despite previous Scotland Yard investigations which found they were too cumbersome to use during such chaotic events.

May was speaking on Sky TV yesterday as the Independent Police Complaints Commission prepared to begin a fourth official investigation. About 50 official complaints have been received so far about the way police have dealt with four protests since the start of November.

"Kettling" was the tactic deployed during last Friday's rally outside the House of Commons against the Government's decision to sanction a tripling of tuition fees. Many peaceful protesters, some under 18, say the tactic meant they were trapped on Westminster Bridge late into the night.

May's warning came as school children, teachers and unions were about to take to the streets of London to voice their anger at the coalition's decision to abolish the education maintenance allowance, given to poorer students as an incentive to stay in full-time education. More than 7000 people have joined a campaign to save the allowance.

May defended the "robust" approach police took to dealing with Friday's protest, which led to injuries among officers and students, as well as 35 arrests.

"The Met Police obviously have to look at how they should be dealing with these demonstrations," she said. "What is absolutely crucial is that for those who did inflict criminal damage, for those who were breaking the law, that they should now feel the full force of the law on them," she told Sky News.

She was to address MPs today in the Commons on the policing of tuition fee protests.

Mark Bergfeld, a member of the Education Activist Network who was held in a "kettle" on Friday, said protesters were "treated like animals" by police. "It's astonishing how they could attempt to do this. People have the right to protest over an issue like this."

The Metropolitan Police has refused to talk publicly about any change in approach. But the Home Secretary's remarks were seized upon by campaigners arguing that police were crossing the line between keeping the peace and limiting the right to free protest.

"Britain and its best policing traditions are envied around the world because we don't generally resort to the kind of military tactics used by less democratic regimes elsewhere," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty.

"Operational policing decisions are best left to independent professionals and not to the political pronouncements of any party in the House of Commons."

Brian Paddick, the former deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said the force had previously looked at the use of water cannon, but they had been found to be unworkable.

"We evaluated water cannon years ago and found they took too long to fill up."

He also said the inability of police to separate violent and peaceful protesters represented a failure of intelligence gathering.

"Police should by now be able to pick out the troublemakers."

- INDEPENDENT