The cops figured out how to deal with tripods years ago (put all legs on wheels and move the whole thing with the tripod-sitter still at the top).

Cutters for D-locks have been around for a while too.

Cops were bound to work out sooner or later that they usually need all the kit at the same time so they might as well put it in one van.

So .. if your mate dreams up a new gadget, tactic or accessory that plod don't have an answer for (yet), why not buy them a drink! (and circulate the idea appropriatly)

Thames Valley Police have had a van full of kit that they use for lock-ons, tripods and climbing actions for the last 3-4 years, they seem to lend it out to neighbouring forces but I've never heard of another force with a similar set up other than the MOD police.

We definately need to evolve new blockading techniques.

"We saw them use stuff against D-locks"
er, what stuff please?

"but clearly visible was the kit they had for dealing with tripods"
Again, what kit? Be more specific please cos you sure as hell won't get one over them by endless theorising.

If i remember correctly this kind of stuff was reported last year. In that the police were very well prepared for some of the blockade attempts. This included vans with the builders style lightweight scaffold towers, for easy stable height access to tripods, and good intelligence about the blockades so they had welcoming crews ready to leap into action very quickly.

Agree that people thinking about blockading should put more thought into it - but not on indymedia eh :-)

-The van had a roof-mounted crane, ladders, hydraulic bolt croppers, neck protection devices & protective cloaks (for the people being removed) and other specialist equipment.

-The police seemed to be following procedure to the letter, clearing people away from the lock-ons swiftly, searching locked-on people for dangerous items, etc. They acted very confidently and efficiently, without much aggression.

-They filmed it all thoroughly, and at the end they asked the legal observer if it had all been carried out correctly.

That's a pretty funky van if it has a roof mounted crane!...

Did it come from merseyside, or was it lent from another force??

The van you describe sounds very much like those I've seen both in Plymouth for a well publicised blockade of the dockyard there and also in London at the last DSEi. In London the van belonged to a department called ' Methods Of Entry' (or something like that) and had the nickname 'Ghostbusters' (they even had sweatshirts on with a ghostbuster logo!). Their normal job is to train coppers and to bust into crack dens etc which have reinforced doors etc. They are also routinuely called in to deal with protester lockons which is what gives us a time advantage as they can take hours to arrive at an unexpected blockade. They do everything by the book (unlike normal coppers) and go through checklist to ensure nobody gets hurt in the prosess (unlike normal coppers). They take their time (unlike normal coppers) and think everything through first (ditto). The have lots of experience with different types of lockon but it's still possible to come up with new twists on old themes and slow them down as when they come accross something slightly different to what they've dealt with before they go even more slowly as they check it all out.

KABOOOOOOOM = no more van or equipment
:)

yeuch, that was horrible

The Sainsbury's blockades on Merseyside have been done a few times now and all have followed the same plan, turn up at night and lock on.

If we repeat the same action over and over the we can't expect Sainsbury's and the police to just sit there and take it. Sooner or later they will get wise and it seems they have.

Maybe its time to vary the tactics used? Target supermarkets or GM animal feed distribution centres. Make it more high profile and broaden it or more underground and hardcore? There are loads of options.

If we can't evolve we will get caught, so start thinking!

Be grateful you were dealing with the police - private bailiffs can be a lot less gentle, particularly when the've been given a deadline to get a site cleared. It shows the importance of legal observers, both from the point of view of the protesters (protection against unnecessary force by the police) and the police (enabling prosecution of any assault by protesters).

just to confirm, the police didn't turn up until the blockade had been on for over an hour I think, and the van with h ladders on the roof and the cutting equipment turned up after another half an hour/45 minutes, which would suggest that it belongs to merseyside or cheshire...a bit of a coincidence, do you think lord sainsbury is personally sponsoring these vans? it didn't have any identifying marks on it (plain white), but was definitely owned and operated by the (as mentioned, well trained) plod.

> "roof-mounted crane, ladders"
I believe the person who spotted the above had their view obstructed and was unable to move! What was on top of their van was the kit for removing people off tripods, which included ladders and platforms. It had runners etc, but not a crane. If this is any different once I've spoken to someone who went and had a good look, I'll post it here.

For photos see  http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/03/306098.html
For comment on police tactics see  http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/03/306128.html
For different comments see  http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/03/306097.html

Sorry for not replying to people earlier - posted this but it didn't work. Thanks to ? for quoting specifics from above links on kit.

Bobby - the moving tripods on wheels was as far as I know only done at the Birmingham G8 Global Street Party in 1998. Cutters have been around for a while, but generally only ones that cut shit D-locks. These were the hydraulic variety however, that the fire brigade have for cutting people out of car crashes. Some police forces have had them, but their use has been patchy up to now, and usually they've had to call the fire brigade out, who sometimes refuse to remove people. Sure it doesn't take much to put them all in a van, but it's taken the plod over a decade to figure it out! And we don't want to end up in some kind of protestor-cop 'arms-race' if we can avoid it.
darren locke - yes, TVP & one other force (can't remember which) have had tripod vans for a while; last year during anti-war stuff in Manchester, we had one too. Seems like it might be more generalised and all together than before - G8 preparation anyone!?
so last year darling - no didn't happen last year.
jerry (AND EVERYONE) - don't just think, act!