Policing Just Stop Oil protests has cost taxpayers £7,700,000

Police officers arrest a Just Stop Oil activist in London (Picture: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

More than £7.7 million has been spent on policing Just Stop Oil protests just in London for the past three months.

Since the end of April, campaigners have staged demonstrations every day in the fight to end new fossil fuel licensing and production in Britain.

Events like the Chelsea Flower Show, the World Snooker Championship and BBC Proms have become some of the targets.

During an interview with Nick Ferrari, Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist said that a total of 23,597 officer shifts had been dedicated to policing the 515 marches across the capital.

Activists face police officers as they march in the capital earlier this month (Picture: AFP)

Officers made 271 arrests and issued 420 section 12 orders to clear the roads as quickly as possible during the three-months of action.

AC Twist stressed these are officers who ‘could have been doing other things’ with their time.

‘We added up the number of officers we have had to deploy for the 13 weeks of action Just Stop Oil has undertaken to disrupt London,’ he told LBC.

‘All of those 23,500 shifts could have been better spent helping local communities in London.

‘We know policing protest is part of policing in London, but this 13 weeks of continual activity has led to those numbers.

‘What is important is it doesn’t stop here. In the autumn we arrested 750 people, and this time we arrested 271 people and charged 174.

‘So we now have to work towards prosecutions and charges and some cases won’t be heard until 2025.

‘We have a whole public order and crime team working on that. It is a significant amount of effort.’

JSO has pledged to carry on its protests until the government stops granting new licences for gas, coal and oil.

With wildfires continuing to rage across Europe, the group has warned that British politicians ‘want to make things worse for corporate profit’.

AC Twist was asked about what the Met has learned from the 13-weeks of action.

‘The speed of response is essential, but that draws more people,’ he stressed.

‘We don’t want people taking the law into their own hands. Which is why we need to get there and take action quickly.

‘The law has changed on that and we have had to adapt to the new legislation.

‘One of the challenges we have with JSO is it doesn’t say when it will protest and take action – it doesn’t engage. We need to ensure there is a quick response.’

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‘All of those 23,500 shifts could have been better spent helping local communities in London.’