An elite team of police officers has been tasked with monitoring social media for anti-migrant sentiment amid fears of summer riots. Detectives from across the UK are taking part in a new investigations unit as the small boats crisis escalates.
The division, overseen by the Home Office, aims to “maximise social media intelligence” gathering after chief constables were criticised over their response to last year’s disorder. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner warned Cabinet last week that the Government must address “the real concerns” people have about immigration.
However, the National Internet Intelligence Investigations team has faced criticism. Independent MP Rupert Lowe wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper about the “dangerous development”, asking why funding is being prioritised for online speech surveillance instead of increasing frontline policing. Madeleine Stone of Big Brother Watch claimed it was “another example of this Government’s obsession with censorship”.
The move comes amid ongoing protests outside hotels housing migrants. On Sunday, two women and a man were arrested at a protest and counter-protest outside an Essex hotel. There have also been protests in Canary Wharf, Wolverhampton, Cheshire and Bowthorpe.
A Home Office spokesman said the team will help police track real-time information and protect communities. The National Police Chiefs’ Council added that forces will continue to facilitate peaceful protest while monitoring intelligence for serious disorder.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Government of trying to “police opinions”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the unit as “the beginning of the state controlling free speech”.
