Crime, Weymouth | Posted on August 9th, 2024 | return to news
Weymouth man charged with assault following protests in town
Following violent protests that took place in Weymouth on Sunday, a local man was arrested and has now been charged.
A 38-year-old man from the Weymouth area was arrested on Thursday 8 August on suspicion of violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker in connection with the protests that took place on Sunday 4 August in the town. He has subsequently been charged and will appear at Poole Magistrates Court today on 9 August.
Following the review of footage, enquiries were carried out at the man’s home address – he was arrested and taken into custody.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said: “Our approach to recent demonstrations has been clear, we will facilitate safe and legal protest, but we must balance this with minimising impact on our communities. Where individuals are suspected of committing public order or criminal offences, we will deal with this robustly as this will not be tolerated.
“Dorset Police has a team of officers dedicated to reviewing crime reports and video footage of protest activity in order to identify any crimes that may have been committed. These will be swiftly investigated with suspected offenders being put before the courts.
“Our role is to facilitate safe and legal protest and where individuals are intent on acting outside of the law, they can face arrest either during demonstrations or in the immediate aftermath. We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service in order to seek swift justice.”
Dorset Police is joining the county’s partner agencies to reassure the public that robust plans are in place to deal with reports of public disorder and reiterate that any form of hate will not be tolerated.
Following protests and violent disorder incidents taking place across the country over recent days, the Force has been working tirelessly to ensure additional specially trained public order resources are in place to respond to any further incidents.
This activity has seen the Force coordinating with partner agencies, as well as other police forces, to ensure it has the most accurate intelligence picture and is able to draw on additional resources should they be required.
Callaghan also said: “We fully recognise that members of public will quite rightly be concerned about the unacceptable level of violence and public disorder we have seen across the country in recent days.
“I want to reassure the public that Dorset is fully prepared and has robust plans in place to respond to any reports of disorder and minimise any impact on our communities. To be clear, anyone involved in such criminality on our streets will be dealt with swiftly and robustly. Offenders will be arrested and brought before the courts.
“We are receiving multiple reports of information every day, which our intelligence teams are working through at pace. I would also encourage the public to report any information they may have to us. We have specially trained teams of officers ready to deploy to any incident across the county, as well as resources available to respond to the usual calls for service from the public.
“I am saddened to hear reports that members of our communities are being targeted because of their race and our neighbourhood teams will be continuing to talk to community leaders from all areas so they are supported and we have suitable response plans in place.
“I would strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim, or witnessed, such deplorable behaviour to come forward and report it to us.”
Cllr Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council, said: “Following the disturbances that have been taking place up and down the country, including the protests in Weymouth on Sunday, we deplore the acts of racism and hatred that have unfolded.
“We want Dorset to continue to be a place that celebrates and welcomes people from all walks of life, both those who live here, and those who visit our beautiful county.
“In these difficult times, we must renew our commitment to stand together against hate.”
Hate crime is defined as any criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race; religion or beliefs; sexual orientation; disability or because they are transgender.
If you have been a victim or witness of hate crime or a hate incident, please report it to Dorset Police so we can investigate. You can do this by calling 101 or by visiting www.dorset.police.uk. You can find further information and advice from Dorset Police in relation to hate crime here: www.dorset.police.uk/hatecrime.
Anyone who may have information about planned protests or disorder is encouraged to contact Dorset Police by calling, calling 101 or reporting online at www.dorset.police.uk. Alternatively, you can report information via the Intelligence Portal or contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. If a crime is in progress dial 999.
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