A demonstration against plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton is taking place today in Lincoln

It follows the Government deciding to turn the former base into a centre which will house migrants whilst their asylum application is processed

Protestors at the demonstration in Lincoln
Author: Charlotte LinnecarPublished 22nd Apr 2023
Last updated 22nd Apr 2023

Protestors have planned a demonstration to be held in Lincoln today to oppose plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton.

They will be joined by a counter-protest that are calling for better treatment of refugees.

It follows the Government deciding to turn the former base into a centre which will house migrants whilst their asylum application is processed.

But many locals say it's an unsuitable site and will put regeneration plans at risk.

Lincolnshire Police have been in communication with both groups and will be attending the march.

Speeches protesting plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton.

Superintendent Lee Pache tells us more:

"At the moment, Lincolnshire police, will have a visible presence in the city centre, in essence, we're there to monitor and ensure that it's a safe event, free from crime and free from disorder."

He also added that extra pre-cautions are being taken for the demonstration:

"There certainly has been an increase in demand in policing. Even with a small scale protest there is a planning element to that and we also have to work on the hypothesis that you could have a protest and counter-protest, which means there's always a need to have additional resources on hand to ensure any protest passes peacefully.

"For this protest, significant levels of resourcing, far and above what you would see in Lincoln normally - even though I'm sure it'll pass without issue - the reality is, with any protest, there is a risk to Lincolnshire Police, in that we do need to move officers from their rest days and from their normal areas of business to police this.

"So, moving forward, if we do see more protests, that will have a significant impact on the worse funded force, in the country, by a significant amount of money. So, this is certainly going to have an impact on our capability and our resources."

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