Policing protest: public order policing

This chapter argues that if the police want to successfully police protests and move towards a genuine consensual position of facilitating events, then they must draw upon relevant research evidence that has emerged in recent years. Police discussions about the protests in the South Coast city on the days in question and more generally talked about the style of policing protests in the city and referred to a shift towards a facilitating approach. It provides an overview on the knowledge and experience of observing the policing of parades and demonstrations in Scotland. The zonal model of policing was employed by Police Scotland in the policing of a large-scale Orange Order/Loyalist parade in Coatbridge in July 2013. The attention and detail of observations from academic researchers has certainly been valuable in informing police approaches to public order policing, especially when compared to some other areas of policing.