Kent Police warned of Dover protests the day before, force says

Kent Police previously said the protest was “spontaneous”, and it did not have any intelligence to suggest a demonstration was going to happen.

Dover District Council deputy keader Edward Biggs called the announcement from Kent Police “very worrying” and “really poor”.

He added: “It’s very disappointing. We rely on the police providing us information so that we can inform the community and take whatever steps we need to take.”

Kent Police said the information it received “would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community”.

It said it had asked the College of Policing to independently examine the processes involved, so it can learn from its response.

Kent’s police and crime commissioner Matthew Scott said he welcomed the independent learning review by the College of Policing.

He said he had asked that it examined both how information is triaged and the communications strategy the force deployed in response to the event.

He said he would ensure the chief constable was held to account with regards to any recommendations made.

He added: “It is essential that we understand how this happened, and that lessons are learnt.

“This is separate to the response of officers, staff and specials on the ground, who did the best they could, in the circumstances they were presented with, to bring the disruption to an end as soon as they did.”

Demonstrators told the BBC on Saturday they did not want to talk to the media, although one said “send them back” and another said “stop the boats” when approached.

No arrests were made on the day of the protest, police said previously.

Although no boats arrived on Saturday, eight did on Sunday, carrying 625 people, Home Office figures revealed.

The day after the protest, several officers were injured and vehicles damaged in Portsmouth at a demonstration sparked by the arrival of 120 migrants.

Both protests have been linked to Danny Thomas, a long-term campaigner against migrants more commonly known as Danny Tommo.

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