Police tactics of charging or ‘kettling’ crowds can unite protesters and escalate disorder, according to new research by the University of Brighton.
Rather than dispersing and leaving the scene, crowds “under attack” by police can become more militant and more determined to resist what they see as illegitimate behaviour by the police.
Dr Chris Cocking, a University of Brighton senior lecturer, carried out interviews with 20 people who had experienced police charges at demonstrations including the student tuition fees protests of 2010. His findings are published (24 January) in the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
- PHIL MILLS
- Intelligence and Policing
- Posted On