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Hampshire police this weekend used newly enacted protest powers to ban face coverings in a large part of Portsmouth and made a handful of arrests as rival crowds clashed after a large Channel landing. The move put the new Crime and Policing Act measures to the test and forced a difficult choice: uphold public order or surrender the streets to masked troublemakers. For anyone who still thinks law enforcement should be neutral only when mobs are comfortable, reality arrived with a police order and a charging notice.
Police invoke new mask powers to keep protests visible
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary authorised a designated area where face coverings were not allowed, citing powers in the Crime and Policing Act and existing Sections that let officers demand removal of disguises. Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said the aim was simple — stop intimidation, allow peaceful protest, and make it easier to identify people who cross the line into crime. That is what conservative voters expect: rules that protect free speech while preventing lawless behaviour.
What actually sparked the unrest
The policing decision followed the rescue of a single, large Channel boat by RNLI and coastguard assets and the transfer of roughly 120–140 people to Eastney Marina. That landing sparked heated anti‑migrant demonstrations and counter‑protests across the city, and police faced scenes of road blockades and clashes with officers trying to keep order. When crowds swell and tempers flare, the practical question becomes whether politicians and police will defend public safety or let chaos set the rules.
Officers later charged a man with violent disorder after the Eastney Marina clashes and carried out other arrests during the rival demonstrations. Local reporting also says a 76‑year‑old was arrested on suspicion of concealing identity under the mask ban; however, details of one viral claim — that a man wore a full‑face burqa and said he was “converting” to avoid the rule — remain unverified by police and should be treated cautiously. The important point is this: police used the powers they were given and acted where they saw criminality.
Here’s the political bottom line. The government talked tough about stopping illegal crossings; then the ports and streets turned into the test. Conservatives can applaud the police for using new tools to keep faces visible and hold wrongdoers to account. But ministers must follow up with practical border fixes and clearer rules so police aren’t left firefighting the symptoms while ministers shrug. If you want order on the streets, you need order at the border and a justice system that actually sees and punishes disorder — not gestures and headlines. Portsmouth showed both the usefulness of the new law and how little progress has been made where it matters most: on policy, not just policing.
