Assistant commissioner tells City Hall the phrase was a “useful soundbite for those seeking to criticise or undermine” the police, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

New Scotland Yard, home of the Met Police

A senior Met officer has hit out at suggestions that police are taking a ‘two tier’ approach to law enforcement in the capital.

Assistant commissioner Matt Twist told a City Hall meeting that the phrase was a “useful soundbite for those seeking to criticise or undermine” the police.

But Susan Hall, the Tory assembly member and former mayoral candidate, pushed back, saying that she understood why “many” Londoners felt the Met were not behaving impartially.

The phrase became prominent during the riots which spread across the country following the attack in Southport, with the claim being that the police were being overly lenient towards protesters of progressive causes, compared to the rioters and others.

However, it had also been used by commentators – and some politicians – to describe the police response to pro-Palestinian protesters since the outbreak of the war in Israel and Gaza, with the suggestion being that officers were not taking a tough enough approach towards them.

A key supporter of the claim is the former home secretary Suella Braverman, who in November last year accused the Met of applying a “double standard” to its policing of the protests.

A report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICRFS) this week criticised “senior politicians” for “making public statements that can have a detrimental effect on the public perception of police impartiality”.

Speaking at a meeting of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee, Twist said today (Wednesday 11th) that ‘two tier policing’ was “a useful soundbite for those seeking to criticise or undermine without actually constructively adding to the debate, [and is] the setting out of a sense of grievance, [claiming] that we’re doing stuff for one group and not another – which of course is not true”.

He added: “We police without fear or favour, and according to the law as it is, not as others might wish it to be.”

Addressing suggestions that the Met have not taken a tough enough approach towards pro-Palestinian protesters, Twist said: “We know that we didn’t get everything right, particularly in the early stages in October. We’ve developed tactics since then, becoming faster and more decisive.”

But committee chair Hall asked the assistant commissioner: “Do you actually understand why so many believe there’s two tier policing?”

She said: “Some of the communities will see that you were more lenient then [in the months following the start of the conflict], and I’m very happy that you’re actually arresting more people now, but many of my Jewish friends don’t want to come into London – they’re frightened, they’re scared, and they feel it.

“This is where this ‘two tier policing’ is coming from. I understand how difficult it is for you, I do.

“But you admit that you didn’t always get things right. When we see pictures of people with signs saying ‘Hamas is a terrorist organisation’ and then being moved away, when actually what they’re saying on the banner is completely correct, that would be seen as being not fair to them…

“The British public put up with an awful lot of different things, but when they think something isn’t fair, that’s when you get trouble.”

The incident referred to by Hall took place in March this year, when counter-protester Niyak Ghorbani held up a sign which read “Hamas is terrorist” at a pro-Palestinian march.

He was arrested, but the Met Police said at the time that the arrest “was not made in relation to the placard”. A spokesperson for the force said it was in fact for assault, but after reviewing footage of the incident, he was later “de-arrested”.

Twist told the assembly member that social media had played a significant role in increasing division among communities and reducing confidence in the police.

He added that parts of the media and some politicians had shared images online which were often taken out of context, or were several years old.

“I understand, and have heard first hand from the community, why community members are fearful, and my message is that we are doing everything we can to enforce the law,” he said.

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