Protests enabled safely and legally in Bournemouth
Officers have enabled safe and legal protest activity in Bournemouth and minimised disruption to the local community.
Dorset Police with partners at BCP Council and other emergency services delivered a successful policing operation on Saturday 20 September 2025 in response to demonstrations between groups in Bournemouth.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Lyne, of Dorset Police, said: “We are pleased to report that both protests in Bournemouth on Saturday remained peaceful and there were no reports of disorder, with only one person asked to leave the area for being drunk in a public place.
“Our priority at events like this is always to keep people safe and we have been working hard to facilitate the right to peaceful protest while balancing the use of legal powers to ensure everyone’s safety.
“We’ve been in consistent contact with both groups since they indicated to us that they would be exercising their right to protest, and I am grateful for the engagement they have undertaken with us.
“On the day we policed the protest with support of additional officers from outside Dorset, and our highly visible policing approach enabled lawful protest, prevented crime and provided a reassuring presence for the public.
"Throughout the day we did need to facilitate some road closures for short periods of time to keep everyone safe, which will have caused some disruption to the community.
“I would like to issue a message of thanks to members of the public for their patience and understanding of the restrictions which were put in place.
“I would also like to praise all officers and staff involved in the response for the professionalism they displayed to ensure everyone remained safe, the partner agencies for their support during this significant operation, in addition to all those officers and staff on duty keeping people safe across the rest of Dorset.”
Image gallery:
select image to download
Media / Journalists
If you are an accredited journalist or member of the media, please click here for information about how to contact our News Team. They don’t handle other enquiries, but members of the public can contact us in many other way by clicking here.