A few thoughts on the use of force yesterday in Washington.

Notwithstanding that they should never have been able to gain access to the Capitol in the first place, once they were in there the emphasis was quite rightly placed on protecting life rather than property.

(A thread)

A holding position was adopted. Later we saw the steps being cleared by officers shepherding rioters down them, even helping them in at least one case.

Was this frustrating to watch? Yes, of course. No-one enjoys watching softly-softly tactics in these circumstances.

But, to use force before there were sufficient people on the ground to dominate and overwhelm the rioters would have been even worse; rioters being dealt with by using batons, tear gas, and shields is seen to be acceptable, even by those protesting; a sense of fair play helps.

Because without sufficient numbers of properly trained and equipped staff an escalation in force would have been inevitable - and firearms would have had to be deployed to a fair greater extent than they were; can you imagine the effect if blood had been more widely spilled?

Also, while it is tempted to use devasting force to 'show them who is in charge' the commanders will have been conscious of the need to maintain legitimacy; putting a riot down is relatively easy but preventing it being reignited by a disenfranchised population is much harder.

That's my take. I was trained in the use of force by the prison service, including managing riot situations as a Silver Commander working remotely in the command suite as well as on the groud leading teams of Tornado staff. I don't have any experience of public order policing.

Interestingly, I once quelled a riot with the judicious offer of a cigarette. Did I enjoy smoking with him? Of course not. Did it prevent widespread loss of property and perhaps life? Yes, almost certainly.

Overwhelming force is sometimes the answer, but not always. (ends)

I have been quite rightly reminded by @AntonyWrites that what we saw yesterday was in stark contrast to the approach the police took during the BLM protests.

It goes without saying that a low-key approach should be taken in all cases, not just when white folk are involved.