‘Those who seek to cause unrest will not win’ – DCC Jon Reilly

Deputy Chief Constable Jon Reilly has issued the following statement today (Tuesday 6 August) in response to concerns raised to us by our communities.

Video transcript:

The incidents of disorder we’ve seen take place across the country recently, including in Bristol on Saturday, are completely unacceptable.

These are not legitimate protests and we will not tolerate any behaviour which attempts to divide our communities.

We’re aware of posts circulating online calling for people to gather in Bristol tomorrow night and I want to reassure you we’ll have significant resources in place to maintain order and keep people safe.

Some of these posts claim we’ve issued a warning about a planned march along Stapleton Road.

This is not true.

We’ve not issued any warning and have no information to suggest any march will actually take place.

We’d never want to stifle legitimate protest, it’s a fundamental democratic right.

However, I urge people to let the police deal with those who want to cause unrest. I promise you we will take the strongest possible action against those who take part in criminality.

We won’t accept acts of violence, damage to property or offences which are motivated by hate.

Indeed, multiple people were arrested following the events in Bristol at the weekend and several of those have already been charged and appeared in court.

We’re aware many people remain concerned about the potential for disorder on Wednesday and in the days and weeks to come.

I want to reassure you we’ve hundreds of specialist officers and resources available and they will do everything they can to ensure our communities are not disrupted and can go about their lives as normal, without fear.

We’re working closely with colleagues in other emergency services and our local authorities – together reaching out to community and business leaders.

We’re committed to keeping people informed about what we know about future disruption and on any plans we subsequently put in place.

We’re extremely proud to serve the diverse communities of Avon and Somerset and we continue to be thankful for the public’s support during these troubling and unusual times. 

Those who seek to cause unrest will not win.