Watch video of the Ian Tomlinson assault

Last Wednesday I mingled with protesters and police officers at the G20 protests. It provided real insight for me. For 30 years I was a serving police officer and for two of those I was in overall charge of investigating incidents where police were alleged to have overstepped the mark, working closely with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Naturally this colours the way I see things. But on Wednesday I saw first hand the dynamics of a highly charged crowd protesting with passion. When I heard that a man had lost his life, my first reaction was that his death probably resulted from a pre-existing health issue.

The job of the police in keeping the peace during such an event is difficult. They are torn between allowing protesters to have a lawful demonstration but not allowing anyone to overstep the mark.

The G20 demonstrations were highly charged.The protesters had signalled their intent to push the boundaries, which implied disorder, and the police had publicly claimed they were “up for it”, suggesting they would put up strong resistance. This has the potential for a tense confrontation which, in some parts of the City, did result in violence. I am afraid the tolerance of the police can become strained.

I saw for myself how officers become more confrontational in an attempt to deter individuals from being unlawful. The video footage of Ian Tomlinson being struck to the ground for no apparent reason looks ugly. Were there other events which preceded this or was the push unprovoked?

What is also not known is whether the cause of death was natural or triggered by this apparent assault. Whatever the cause, the commissioner must ask serious questions about the style of policing. If left unchecked, we have a more violent crowd in uniform than the crowd demonstrating.

Andy Hayman is former Assistant Commissioner Special Operations at the Metropolitan Police

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