What went wrong in DC today?

Intelligence must have suggested this as risk so no excuses. This was a failure.

Cordon around the venue. Boxed fencing. Plenty of public order personnel

Firearms at a minimum but accepting this is a different policing environment.

Event liaison to identify ringleaders. You’ve seen them wearing a blue gilet in the UK

Take out the ringleaders early. Trains should already be cancelled. Motorways monitored.

First sign of lawbreaking then “kettle” contain and detain. Then reinforce.

Decant protected people to safe location and let it be known that has happened

Pray for rain!!

Allow the protest to become a peaceful occupation. Encourage it. Provide refreshments.

Don’t over react and bring firearms into the public order arena.

Pipe bombs? React consistent with public safety, no more

Deploy evidence gathering when law breaking occurs

Recognise the objectives of the most extreme elements of the protest and frustrate them. Don’t be drawn into a violent escalation

Wear the protestors down. Build in your own resilience. You can take it longer than they can give it

Finally keep resources back for an escalation elsewhere and a deterioration in your primary venue.

Protestors should never have been within 500 metres of the venue.

NB. Separate your shock at the security breach from the reality of what has happened which isn’t much. An egg thrown at our Queen is still only an egg.