EDL Protests Cost Police Over £10m In Four Years

The BBC and various other news sources have reported that the cost of policing English Defence League (EDL) demonstrations is causing “considerable concern”, West Midland Police’s commissioner said recently.

And the BBC learned through a Freedom of Information request that policing EDL marches in England has cost more than £10m over four years.

West Midlands Police has spent more than £500,000 on multiple protests, whilst Mr Jones said was putting a strain on the force’s budget.

“We find it grossly unhelpful that this group is coming to demonstrate here again. They are extremely unwelcome and it is likely to blow a very significant hole in the police budget,” Mr Jones said.

“We’ve had significant reductions in our budget and policing these demonstrations is a significant cost and strain on our already stretched budgets,” he said.

The remaining forces said they did not have to police any EDL demonstrations or could not provide a cost.

Bedfordshire Police recorded the highest cost of £2,447,172, followed by West Yorkshire Police at £1,911,088. This included the cost of officers’ overtime and of mutual aid - borrowing officers from other forces.