A FORMER SCOTLAND Yard Detective has blasted the MET’s handling of the Stop Oil protests – which ended up causing chaos across the capital.

The protests were replicated across the UK creating misery for many trying to go about their everyday lives.

Speaking to GB News, Peter Bleksley said the police failed to react quickly enough.

He said: “The police were very slow in the early stages of these protests. And I think basically there was a fundamental lack of courage on behalf of the police and prosecutors to use the existing law robustly and to challenge some of the stated cases.”

Contrary to what many think, Mr Bleksley said officers were acutely aware of the public’s right to protest.

“The right to protest is of course a cornerstone of our flagship democracy,” he said. “And the police know that only too well because they facilitate protests and marches and demonstrations on an almost weekly basis. In fact, it’s not so many years ago, when thousands of police officers marched their way to Parliament themselves. However in the case of Just Stop Oil there was a fundamental lack of really grasping the damage these protests would do. The damage to the economy for instance is almost incalculable.”

Commenting on the infamous arrest of an LBC journalist earlier this year, Mr Bleksley added: “The police officers were clearly so brainwashed by their superiors, and the instructions that were handed down, that they forgot policing is often about discretion and common sense. And sadly, both of those appear to be severely lacking on that occasion.

“The public would like to see their streets clear, and there’s enough legislation to do that so that they can go about their daily business, whether that be going to work, visiting hospital relatives, going shopping, or otherwise keeping the wheels of the economy turning.”