Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the duty of the police to limit the use of amplified noise (a) on multiple occasions, (b) at extreme volumes and (c) in public places, whether in support of (i) political or (ii) non-political objectives; and what rights her Department recognises of other people in the vicinity to (A) go about their business undisturbed and (B) mount equally noisy counter protests nearby if no action is taken to limit the volume and repetitiveness of the disturbance.

The Government is committed to upholding the right to lawful protest, while ensuring that legislation across the framework of public order maintains a balance between freedom of expression and the need to protect the public from serious disruption or harm. The use of these powers and the management of protest is an operational policing matter and police forces work with organisers to plan protests and assess risks, including risks posed by counter protests.

The Government has tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which will require police to take cumulative disruption into account when imposing conditions under s12 or s14 of the Public Order Act 1986, including the the time and route of the protest. This new duty will help to protect communities from repeated disruption caused by protests especially where the same site has been targeted again and again, causing disorder or distress.