Police officers arrested volunteers ahead of King Charles' coronation, despite the group working directly with the Metropolitan Police. The volunteers were from Westminster Council's safety scheme Night Stars and had the Met Police's logo on their jackets at the time.
Suzie Melvin was one of three volunteers who were arrested before the coronation. She told MPs that the police officer who arrested her said they were "specifically looking" for people from her organisation.
She appeared to suggest it could have been linked to the volunteers carrying rape alarms as part of an “anti-spiking kit” they hand out to people enjoying a night out. Reports had suggested that rape alarms could be set off and thrown at horses to disrupt the event.
Ms Melvin gave evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee today (May 17), which is investigating the police handling of protests leading up to the coronation. The meeting was disrupted by a Just Stop Oil protest.
Ms Melvin explained that she was approached by the police, who wanted to stop and search the Night Stars volunteers while they were patrolling in Soho. She said the volunteers then showed them emails and leaflets from the council as well as the Night Stars website.
They then showed the officer their hi-viz jackets that displayed the Met Police logo. Ms Melvin then gave the arresting officers the names of Met Police colleagues who she knew from volunteering. However, she told MPs she did not think any attempt to contact the officers was made.
She told the committee: “We did the best that we could to try and explain who we were to the officers. Then they also searched the church we base ourselves out of. We were told we were going to be arrested.
“We were then taken in police vans to Walworth police station where we were held. I was interviewed at approximately 1pm the following day and was released a little bit after 4pm on Saturday, May 6.”
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She added: “I fully accept it was a challenging situation for the police. I was informed by the officer who arrested me that they were specifically looking for the Night Stars and they had been told where we were going to be.”
Ms Melvin was carrying a rape alarm at the time but said she had never handed the devices to members of the public.
