No evidence of police brutality at Barton Moss, report says
An independent inquiry into the policing of the Barton Moss anti-fracking protests has found no evidence of police brutality.
But the report, commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd, called for better planning and community engagement by police.
The independent panel which authored the report - led by Martin Miller, chief executive of the Diocese of Manchester, also said protesters "should do more to recognise their responsibilities".
Last year protesters staged a protest camp at the Barton Moss site as part of a campaign to halt exploratory drilling for Shale Gas.
Greater Manchester Police ran a major policing operation throughout the protests - costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Today's report found that although the majority of people at the site were there to protest peacefully, "a small number wanted to antagonise police and cause trouble".
The report said this led to all protesters feeling "they were treated as criminals because of the actions of a few and resulted in a breakdown of trust between police and protesters".
It said claims of police brutality "have not been substantiated and specific claims of alleged injuries found to be untrue".
The report made a number of recommendations for the police, protesters and other public bodies, including local authorities to take on board.
The police should do more to engage with protest groups in the run up to and during similar policing operations with a senior officer given the specific and sole role of engaging with protesters during complex protests.
Protesters must recognise their responsibilities during protests - while the majority acted lawfully there was a handful whose behaviour was unacceptable including abuse of police officers and social workers who were there to ensure the welfare of children at the site.
During major protests, GMP should consider inviting a nominated representative of the protesters into the police control room, on the same advisory status as other third party bodies. This should help build trust and confidence in the police operation.
The pressure group Frack Free Greater Manchester welcomed today's report, but said questions remain unanswered.
The report has been presented to Mr Lloyd and Sir Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, who is expected to respond in the coming weeks.