Call for independent mediators at protests

Police in riot gear scuffle with demonstrators during protests outside the Bank of England timed to coincide with the G20 summit meeting in London in this file photo from April 1, 2009.

LONDON (Reuters) - Independent mediators who can liaise between protesters and police could help avoid the sort of trouble seen at the G20 demonstrations in London earlier this year, a parliamentary committee said on Tuesday.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights said poor communication between police and those at the April protests had raised tensions and possibly led to officers taking a "more heavy-handed approach" at the Climate Camp demonstration.

It suggested using a similar system of mediation to the one used to deal with protests in Northern Ireland.

"We see merit in using independent negotiators to facilitate dialogue between police and protesters, where the parties encounter difficulties in communicating directly," the committee's report said.

"Such negotiators could also help resolve disputes."

Police have been highly criticised for their handling of the G20 protests, with concern raised about tactics and accusations of excessive violence by some officers.

Newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson, 47, died after he was caught up in a demonstration outside the Bank of England, and there have been hundreds of complaints about police behaviour.

The Human Rights Committee said there was "a long way to go before promoting and protecting human rights is central to police policy, training and operations."

It also said while the containment tactic, kettling, was lawful, it had to be used in a proportionate way and that a blanket ban on people leaving a contained area was unacceptable.

"There were obvious problems with this policing operation," said Committee Chairman Andrew Dismore. "While kettling may be a helpful tactic, it can trap peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders for hours.

"It did not help that communication was so poor between police and protesters. Both side must try to improve this in future."

Earlier this month, a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary into the G20 demonstrations concluded that the police's public order tactics were "inadequate."

It said officers had been given confusing instructions on how to carry out the kettling, and that police were more concerned about whether a protest was illegal than facilitating peaceful demonstrations.

London's police force said it was incorporating lessons it had learnt into future operations, while the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said it was difficult for officers to balance facilitating protests with preventing disorder.

"It is clear that there are areas that can be improved and addressed as we review that guidance and we will study this report carefully as part of that process," said Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, ACPO's spokesman on the issue.

(Reporting by Michael Holden)