Climate camp policing criticised

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More than 6,000 police records of "stop and searches" at the Climate Camp at Kingsnorth power station were indecipherable, a watchdog has said.

A total of 8,218 stop and searches were conducted by Kent Police during the week-long protest last year.

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) said the poor quality of search forms was a cause for serious concern.

Kent Police accepted the findings and said all forces were keen to improve the policing of large-scale events.

Chairwoman of Kent Police Authority Ann Barnes said: "We appreciate the importance to the public of how the police handle and deal with protests.

"It is clear that lessons have been learned and both the force and the authority will be better equipped to handle this sort of protest in the future."

'Confrontational approach'

Protesters gathered at Kingsnorth Power Station on the Hoo peninsula to object to plans by energy firm E.ON to build a coal-fired plant there.

A report by HMIC said about 2,000 people were camping at the site at the height of the protest, policed by about 1,400 police officers and staff.

At the time, campaign groups, MPs and protesters raised concerns about what they said were heavy-handed tactics.

They accused the police of the disproportionate use of stop and search and seizure of equipment and a confrontational approach.

Police made 100 arrests during the event.

HMIC praised Kent Police's overall management of logistics and the adoption of a clear criminal justice strategy.

But it criticised a lack of strategic clarity, a lack of appropriately trained commanders, inadequately trained operational planning teams, inadequate briefings, and a lack of understanding of police powers particularly over stop and search.

The report set out recommendations including that all police forces adopt fundamental principles on the use of force.