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Violence and burglary soared in London because police officers were redirected to deal with the Tamil protests, an influential report revealed today.
The number of cases of serious violence leapt by nearly 30 per cent and cases of burglary increased by 7.3 per cent, according to the study by Britain's top police officer responsible for public order.
The report showed how a squad usually used to tackle violent crimes and break-ins in London's worst crime boroughs was re-deployed to deal with the protests in Parliament Square.
In addition, operations by a task force which deals with knife crime were cancelled between 13 May and 27 May together with the central command and control of efforts to tackle London-wide incidents of serious youth violence and gang violence.
Also an extra 616 officers a day were taken from the London boroughs and assigned to policing Parliament Square.
The report's author Superintendent David Hartshorn, a senior officer in the Met's public order branch, states: "This had an immediate and adverse impact on borough performance against violent and volume crime such as burglary and on the management of risk in relation to youth violence.
"There have been increases of 28.9 per cent in most serious violence and 7.3 per cent in burglary since 1 April."
The study, to go before a Metropolitan Police Authority finance committee today, also revealed the Tamil policing operation cost the taxpayer £10.5 million.
This dwarfed the estimated £7.2 million cost of policing the G20 protests in London in April.
The 73-day protest that brought thousands of people on to the streets in support of Sri Lanka's Tamils ended yesterday.
It featured hunger strikes, sit-ins that clogged key roads and several people throwing themselves into the Thames.
The number of protesters varied from a handful to 15,000 as organisers called in support via text messages and website posts.
Supt Hartshorn said: "The difficulties of policing the Tamil demonstration in Parliament Square cannot be over-emphasised.
"Whilst being highly organised, they appear to have no identifiable organisers and can mobilise vast increases in their numbers in a very short time by the use of text messaging."
The Met tried to engage with representatives of the Tamil community to establish their protest intentions.
However, many of the meetings were cancelled at short notice, he added.
When the war in Sri Lanka ended in defeat for the Tamils the Met feared a surge in violent protests and disorder.
The MPA's finance committee was considering a request from the Met for £6 million to help meet policing costs.
Reader views (17)
Britain is slowly but surely reaping the "benefits" from Tamils that it took in. I would give it a decade before these very Tamils will demand a separate state citing various bogus excuses under any circumstance.
Problem with the Tamil community is that it prefers
to live in ghettos rather than integrate with the majority. The end result being self isolation.
- Dr Ganda Paiya, Herts, 25/06/2009 15:09
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Agree with Toby Young from Richmond - I too have been to Sri Lanka on many business visits as a buyer for a big UK clothing company. In total I must have spent about 5 months in the country between 2005 and 2008.
The local business community in Sri Lanka is a multi cultural affair, with not just the Tamils, Sinhalese, and Muslims, but also Indian origin Sindi's, Bora's and others making up a diverse business community. Several Tamils run some of the top companies across all industries, but none of these astute Tamil professionals think or feel like the Tamils in our UK diaspora. I have asked several of them about the conflict, and I have always been told that the Tamils in the diaspora have twisted the truth and none of what they say is factual in any way. Actually, if you visit Sri Lanka you will see that none of the genocide claims are even vaguely applicable.
On a recent trip I was told that all of the 2000 something terrorist child soldiers being rehabilitated by the government of Sri Lanka, almost all of them had never seen a Sinhalese person in their lives before. This is because some 30 years ago the Tamil Tigers drove out all the Sinhalese and Muslims from the northern and eastern territories of the country - and created a mono-ethnic Tamil state. How racist is that? If the Tamil diaspora can live in the UK alongside everyone else, they should learn to do the same in Sri Lanka. It is only the diaspora who cannot live with the Sinhalese, while Lanka Tamils can/do
- Gerald, Twickenham, 19/06/2009 12:09
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Had the brits not brought in tamils from india to swell the numbers of the tamils living within sihalese territory, there wouldnt be a problem now. You made the mess, now you deal with it.
- Sundar, Vauniya, 19/06/2009 07:06
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Its is intereting to see various commenents but most of all is dirested at the simple fact that tanil diaspora is trying to divide a tiny island which is no more bigger than New South Wales in Australia. I salute Joe Bloogs and D Marks in London for expressing true facts and those who are worried about the innocent tamils who are in tha camps must go to Sri Lanka must help the UN , Sri Lankan Govt to settle them back in their vilages quickly rather than messing around with British Tax Payers money!!
- Steve, Sydney Australia, 19/06/2009 02:53
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To those that can see thru the lies and propoganda spued through the Tamil Tigers (notice I said Tamil Tigers not sympathisers!) thank you. That tiny country is trying to be divided by all and sundry. Luckily those that do visit actually see the real side of that fantastic country once known by the name Serendib and Taprobane.
Thank you channel 4 for the unbiased film about the plight of the people in the camps...thank you for showing the same things when all those people were killed when the tamil tigers took control of the same areas the SL Govt took back.
- Joe Bloggs, Landan, 18/06/2009 20:00
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"if you have even started looking at sri lanka as a holiday destination shame on you!!!"
Actually, if you have:
- been inconvenienced by the pro-Tamil Tiger demonstrations;
- or one of the people who have made involuntary donations to their cause (by having your credit card cloned);
- or just fed up with this bunch of racists (the LTTE make Combat 18 seem like the Girl Guides)and who live over here but can't manage over there without a separate state...Please DO visit Sri Lanka!
Seriously, you probably won't get a better opportunity.
Once the situation has stabilised and development work starts prices are likely to soar. Plus, the budget end of the market is likely to be swallowed up by burgeoning middle class tourists from India and China.
Most parts of the country are within a day's drive and there is an amazing variety of attractions and activities. Everything from snorkelling and lying on the beach to exploring ancient cities (some are World Heritage sites)or climbing hills in the interior.
And you can see who has been telling porkies for yourself. Something the Parliament Square mob don't mention: throughout the civil war, even when they had their defacto state, it was the Sri Lankan (largely Sinhalese) taxpayer who paid for the healthcare and education in Tamil areas - THEY spent their money buying weapons.
- D Marks, London, UK, 18/06/2009 15:33
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If Brits didn't enslave us to the Sinhalese, there will be no Tamil refugees and no protests. If you are that bothered, give our country back.
- Sundar, Vavuniya, 18/06/2009 15:26
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" When you sleep with a dog, you have to get up with flees". Britain is experiencing the consequences for harboring terrorists. They should understand no matter what the name of the organization or where in the world, terrorists are terrorists. Look at the waste of tax payer money. They do whatever they want for their cause. Blocking roads, bridges, clashing police etc since what they inherited is nothing but violence. I would like to ask from the government of Britain whether they are ready to harbor Al-Qaida also if they are ready to vote for you in the next election.
- Deana, Detroit USA, 18/06/2009 15:12
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Anyone who disturbs British peace should be dealt with by the legal system. Maybe the politicians are afraid of the votes...
It is shameful that Britain has to suffer for someone else's problems. If you live in Britain as British citizens or permanent residents, please leave your wars behind. If you want to fight, please leave Britain and go to the relevant areas.
- John Hopkins, Britain, Wales, 18/06/2009 14:47
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To me it is freedom of expression, on the other hand I personally would like to appologise should there be any inconveniences caused to the public during the protest.
We tamils are well behaved educated citizens in britain contributing in more than a billion sterling to british economy, and we have every rights like any other british to make our voices heard.
- Jey, Lond, 18/06/2009 14:29
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I understand that what police officers has to go through every day of their life, but they cannot blame surge in crime because of the protest. Crime always committed and also lots of people are losing their jobs each and every day. Most of the policing came from overtime paid to them not from their original scheduled timing. So why are they just purely blaming on the Tamil people’s protest. This protest not only was longest one but also very peaceful one too.
In terms of cost I am sure UK government can pay from the revenue it has collected by selling weapon to Barbarian Sri Lankans. Which they used to kill innocent Tamil women and children(civilians).
- Logen, London, 18/06/2009 13:43
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More protests are planned over the summer holidays, using Tamil university students. So the Met can expect to dish out more millions for this charade during the peak tourist season.
- Schweigen, London, UK, 18/06/2009 13:42
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it's very sad that after all that effort nothing was gained. still no media or help in sri lanka the west is waiting for all the tamils to die in the camps from lack of food,disease and lack of medical supplies. Everyone is more interested in sri lanka and the cricket than the suffering 1000's and if you have even started looking at sri lanka as a holiday destination shame on you!!!
- Meena, london, 18/06/2009 13:21
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Some of these comments are hilarious, such as 'britain must interfere' - its like asking someone you buy a house from to come and sort your family problems. Your country wanted independence, you got it, Britain has got no business to interfere in any internal affairs in ANY country. Additionally what the tamils seems to be asking is like dividing London for various people with different cultures. We are all Brits so we have to live together if you'll cannot live together perhaps its due to your inability to accept the sinhalese as much as the sinhalese cannot accept you, so what do you expect us Brits to do? However having travelled to Sri Lanka frequently for business I note that many of the big businesses in the Capital, Colombo are either owned or are run by tamils and having spoken to some of them they are not of the same opinion of some people who reside here whether legally or illegally, that they are subject to widespread discrimination in Sri Lanka. They claim these are people who have other interests, such as forced collection of monies from their businesses here and in the country for the purpose of 'tamil liberation'! We Brits are very tolerant people however some of you seem to be pushing your boundaries, taking our kindness too far. If I was Home Secretary I would have deported the entire lot who were protesting in Parliament square living illegally here, we have an ineffective government afraid of upsetting the minorities for the sake of votes.
- Toby Young, Richmond, 18/06/2009 13:07
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I was at the protest many times in April and May. As the past colonial master Britain has moral responsibility to interfere in Sri Lanka for the rights of Tamils. We occupied the Parliament Square to get the British Government to interfere and stop the massacre of Tamil civilians.
No one listened! Thousands of Tamils civilians were killed in April and May.
Now reports are saying atleast 1000 a day from 1st to 19th May were killed. The channel 4 reports that 20,000 have become amputee, many of whom are children.
More than 300,000 are now locked up in barbed wired interment camps. Apperantly they are being screened to identify Tigers, however its the same government which said that all the 300,000 Tamils are with the Tigers atleast mentally. So what is the political screening for? To make all the Tamils loose their heads. The International Community should call for the freedom of movement of the 300,000 Tamil people in the interment camps. If Sri Lanka does not listen there should be sanctions on trade and banning of travel to and from Sri Lanka.
- Puthuvai, London, UK, 18/06/2009 11:52
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Ariya- does not worry. Britain is a democratic country and people can express their voices democratically.
Not like Srilanka where more than 100,000 Tamils massacred and 300,000 Tamil people at concentration camps.
Britain is gaining more money from us and their spending to the police is very tiny.
- Samurai, London, 18/06/2009 11:52
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It is good news, really good news that Britain is now on paying back time. Britain didn't think wisely and brought in these trouble makers, and now Met Police is losing funds. I am quite happy that these trouble makers stay there for ever, making the British government losing money everyday! This is run by an Aunty from New Malden, and its hard to believe that Met Police is so inefficient that they cannot simply take her into custody. Then, the protests would be over. But on the other hand no one asked Britain to colonize Ceylon, so it is pay off time. Good luck, Britain!
- Ariya, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 18/06/2009 10:46
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