Disorder in Essex has exposed dangerous cracks in police forces across the country and serves as a "signal flare" of rising unrest, according to the head of a major police body. The warning comes after a series of demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping following charges against an asylum seeker this month.
Tiff Lynch, chairwoman of the Police Federation, wrote in The Telegraph that the Essex disorder was "not just a troubling one-off". She described it as "a signal flare" and "a reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it".
Police forces stretched thin
Lynch warned that local commanders across the country are being forced to choose between "keeping the peace at home or plugging national gaps". She added that "a summer of further unrest is not inevitable" but becomes "far more likely if we once again fail to prepare".
Essex Police has issued a dispersal order in Epping which will be in place from 2pm on Thursday until 8am on Friday. The order covers an area including the town centre and transport hubs such as the tube station, giving officers power to direct anyone suspected of anti-social behaviour to leave or face arrest.
Farage calls for resignation
The move comes after Nigel Farage called for Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington to resign. The Reform UK leader shared footage online on Wednesday, claiming it proved Essex Police "transported left-wing protesters to the Bell Hotel in Epping".
Harrington told a press conference on Wednesday that accusations officers drove people to the protest are "not true". Conservative MP for Epping Forest Neil Hudson said what some politicians are saying "is not correct" and expressed full support for Essex Police.
Sexual assault charges spark protests
The protests began after an asylum seeker, 38-year-old Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, was charged with sexual assault after allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. He denied the charges when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court last week and is due to stand trial in August.
Harrington said officers had made 10 arrests following the protests. The force said on Tuesday that four men have been charged with violent disorder and a fifth man charged with failing to remove a face covering when directed.
Wider demonstrations across England
Political activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on his X account on July 20 that he was "coming to Epping next Sunday and bringing thousands more with me". Protesters also gathered outside a hotel believed to be housing asylum seekers in Diss, Norfolk, earlier in the week.
There was also a demonstration outside the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf on Wednesday. The site is reportedly to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
