Two arrests made by Leicestershire Police during protests in city centre
Protests have been held across the country following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport on Monday
Leicestershire Police made 2 arrests during protests held in Leicester City Centre yesterday evening.
The force say there was a proactive police operation in place to deal with two protests at the Clock Tower.
Both protests dispersed at around 7.20pm and the operation concluded with two arrests.
A man was arrested for breach of the peace but was later de-arrested and left the area.
Another man, aged 24, was arrested for public order offences.
Chief Superintendent Shane O’Neill said:
“It was a matter of great importance to us to maintain the peace in our city today and to allow peaceful protest where possible.
"I want to express my sincere thanks to our partners and community leaders who were integral in reassuring and informing communities about our policing activity and also assisting us in tackling disinformation on social media and Whatsapp.
"This recent activity is a clear lesson in how important it is to counter any misinformation posted online or on social media. We cannot let unhelpful speculation impact upon the balance of our communities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We are proud of our multi-cultural communities and today we all worked together in order to maintain those positive relationships.”
Police used specialist trained officers and resources to manage the situation in the City Centre today and have confirmed they will stand up these resources again should the situation change.
Chief Superintendent O’Neill added:
"I continue to appeal to the public to not to share information that you do not know to be true. We have seen disorder across the country today and it is vital that we all take responsibility and do not share fake news or disinformation that may cause harm.
"We continue to monitor the situation and we continue to encourage anyone with information to speak to us or if you are planning an event or protest to be aware of your legal obligations.”