Met police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson reported to have offered to resign over handling of violence
Theresa May, the home secretary, will make a statement to the Commons tomorrow on the violent disorder in London while MPs were voting for increased student tuition fees.
Reports surfaced today that the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, had offered to resign over the Met's handling of Thursday's protests.
The Met confirmed that the commissioner had phoned the Prince of Wales on Friday and sources, reported by the Sunday Times, said he had offered to resign.
Speaking on Sky News, May defended the "robust" police response to the disorder that saw many protesters and some police injured, and 33 arrests made.
"What is absolutely crucial is that for those who did inflict criminal damage, for those who were breaking the law, that they should now feel the full force of the law on them," May said.
Both the Met and the government have been heavily criticised for their handling of the protests. May refused to say whether she would push for the use of stronger crowd control tactics such as water cannons at future demos, saying the decision would be up to officers.
"The Met police obviously have to look at how they should be dealing with these demonstrations," she said. "They will look across the board and they will be making operational decisions.
"You wouldn't expect me to sit here and give the game away about what tactics would be used," she added.
The home secretary said that the vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, originally presented to the Queen as a gift from the Car Association in 1977, might have to be withdrawn from use by members of the royal family. Despite allegedly being heavily modified for protection, one of the car's huge windows was smashed during the attack on the night of the protests and its distinctive shape makes it easily identifiable.
More protests are expected on Tuesday ? although not on the scale of last Thursday ? as the move to increase fees is debated in the House of Lords.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/dec/12/theresa-may-statement-student-protests
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