In May, the High Court ruled that the UK Government’s controversial anti-protest measures were unlawful. Then home secretary, Suella Braverman, had fast-tracked the introduction of increased powers for the police in dealing with protesters, lowering the threshold of when they could intervene during a protest. Braverman attempted to pass her Public Order Act 2023 through parliament without full parliamentary approval, but last month the High Court deemed the legislation unlawful and the Act will have to be resurrected in the approval process in the next parliament after the July General Election.

This was deemed a “victory for democracy” by human rights groups, but it does highlight how law and order should be maintained during public protests. The UK is currently embroiled in a protest culture, with regular action relating to climate change, employment strikes and the Israel/Hamas conflict in particular, while the right to protest is still open to any group of individuals with a cause to protect or support. In this kind of situation maintaining public order can be a logistical and legal challenge, and canine security for events remains the best solution.

Why dog security is the ideal solution for controlling protests

Controlling the threat of public disorder and protecting the public during a protest is a complex process which has to be managed carefully and, of course, lawfully. Most protests are perfectly peaceful and people have to be allowed the right to protest. In this case security measures are largely discreet and passive, and can be covert to the extent that nobody knows security is there, but they are ready and positioned to act as and when necessary.

Canine security has this ability to mix visual presence with discreet presence as required, but this is just one of the benefits of using dog security for protest events:

Visual deterrent – dog security can be positioned in prominent locations to deter the threat of violence and keep protests peaceful.
Rapid deployment – you can appoint dog security teams at the beginning of a planned protest and can deploy additional resources if and when events escalate and more support is needed.
Trained and licenced – dog security teams are trained to deal with large crowds and can de-escalate situations using skilled techniques. The dog and its handler are also licenced security professionals who are continually assessed and trained as required. At React K9, all our dog security teams are NASDU members and are SIA-licenced.
Flexible – you can station dog security to be visual or passive as required, but in any scenario the team is ready to act when necessary.
Crowd management – in most cases dog security is merely needed to move people along and ensure they are in the right areas, this helps to ensure protests pass peacefully and don’t escalate into violence and disorder.
Detect illegal substances – specialist dog security can be employed to manage crowds but also to detect illegal substances such as drugs, pyrotechnics and firearms.
Legal – where dog security is required to descale public disorder, it can do so legally to ensure there is no liability for injuries or unlawful containment.

Professional dog security for your events with React K9

If you are aware of an impending protest or need to guard against a possible escalation of public disorder at an event, contact React K9 and we can talk to you about your dog security needs. We can work with you to carry out a full risk assessment of the event and ensure you have suitable and adequate dog security resources, so contact our team today.