Policing Insulate Britain’s roadblocking protests cost at least £4.3million – enough to insulate about 3,500 homes – an investigation has found.
Freedom of Information figures show that over 6,600 Scotland Yard officers assisted in dealing with climate group’s acts from September through last month.
The staff costs were £3.1million, with a further £600,000 spent on deploying vehicles and £300,000 on overtime.
An Insulate Britain climate activist was arrested by police officers. He had blocked a sliproad from the M25 in January.
As they blocked a central London street, Insulate Britain activists stopped a car driving toward them in October.
Four other forces that assisted spent more than £300,000 solely on overtime, meaning the actual figure for policing protests in their areas was considerably higher.
It costs roughly £1,250 to insulate a four-bedroom detached house, meaning that almost 3,500 could have been insulated for the same price.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said that he was shocked by the expense to taxpayers and top police officers called the numbers ‘disgusting.
Insulate Britain has blocked the M25’s anti-clockwise carriageway between Ockham and Ockham by climate activists this September
Grant Shapps (Transport Secretary) said that ‘not only did their guerrilla strategies wreak havoc upon our roads and cause misery to thousands, but they also diverted our emergency service away from essential work.
Mr Shapps stated that he was appalled by the time and money spent on policing Insulate Britain’s selfish acts.
“They not only wrecked our roads and caused misery for thousands of motorists but they also diverted our emergency services from essential work. This cost the UK taxpayer many millions.
Insulate Britain is a climate group associated with Extinction Rebellion. It has asked that the government insulate all UK homes by 2030, to reduce carbon emissions.
Between September 13th and November 20th, eco-warriors blocked main roads in the country, causing massive disruptions and traffic jams.
Insulate Britain protestors blockade the M25 motorway in Surrey near Cobham, Surrey.
They targeted London’s M25, which is the UK’s most popular motorway. However, they also blockaded roads throughout the country, including Manchester, Birmingham, and Port of Dover in Kent.
Police officers used to be stationed at each intersection of the M25.
Hertfordshire Constabulary spent at least £185,000 on the protests, Surrey Police £110,000, City of London Police £44,000 and Greater Manchester Police £10,000.
Policing Insulate Britain’s roadblocking protests cost at least £4.3million, enough to insulate about 3,500 homes, an investigation has found
Following the blocking of the anticlockwise (and clockwise) carriageway by Insulate Britain activists, congestion accumulated on the M25.
Photograph: Shapps. Senior police officers described figures as “disgusting” and expressed their shock at the high cost of the bill to the taxpayer.
Ken Marsh, the chairman of Metropolitan Police Federation which represents rank-and-file officers, stated that his team had never experienced such dangerous policing while responding to protests on motorways 70 mph.
He said, “It is disgusting that this kind of money has to be spent on such protests.”
Police were successful in making hundreds of arrests but suspects often returned to the road within hours of their release.
National Highways applied to the High Court for injunctions to ban protests on motorways and main roads in England, at a cost of £220,000 spent on lawyers.
Ten Insulate Britain activists were sentenced to prison for violating previous injunctions.
Shapps declared that they would not stop fighting this illegal behavior as the government works on climate change.
According to him, he was working closely with Priti Patel (Home Secretary) in order to enforce harsher sanctions for disruptions of key infrastructure like major roads.
Insulate Britain claimed that the group would rather spend its money in insulating homes or helping people get out of fuel poverty but pledged to protest.
Tracey Mallaghan spoke out, saying that “our Government has proven time and again they’re incapable of doing what is needed for our children for the future.” How can we make this stop?