M25 protests: Arrests of journalists not justified, review finds

Charlotte Lynch, an LBC reporter (pictured on a previous assignment), said being arrested was "absolutely terrifying"

A review into the actions of a police force during a Just Stop Oil protest on the M25 has concluded the arrests of journalists "were not justified".

Four members of the press were arrested by Hertfordshire Police while reporting on the protests on 7 and 8 November.

LBC reporter Charlotte Lynch said she was handcuffed and in police custody for five hours after being arrested while reporting on the protest.

Chief Constable Charlie Hall said he had apologised to the journalists.

Ms Lynch, who has previously reported from prisons (pictured), said she was "flabbergasted" to be in a cell

Ms Lynch said she was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance on 8 November, despite showing officers her press card.

She had been reporting from a bridge between junction 20 (Abbots Langley) and junction 21 (M1/St Albans interchange).

The journalist said she "burst into tears" when she was detained in a cell and described the ordeal as "absolutely terrifying".

In a letter to Ms Lynch, Mr Hall said he was "truly sorry" for his officers' actions and said the force "clearly got things wrong".

A photographer and a filmmaker also said they were held in police custody for about 13 hours after being arrested while trying to cover the protests.

Protesters caused several days of disruption around the M25 earlier this month

The arrests led to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and senior police officers highlighting the importance of press freedom.

Mr Hall asked an independent force to investigate and Ch Supt Jon Hutchinson from Cambridgeshire Police undertook the review.

"Whilst the review has correctly concluded that the arrests of the journalists were not justified, and that changes in training and command need to be made, it found no evidence to indicate that officers acted maliciously or were deliberately disproportionate," Mr Hall said.

"They made mistakes and I now reiterate my apologies.

"The review also affords some valuable learning, which we are acting on immediately, so that it can be used when policing future protests, and we will also be sharing the learning nationally."

Following recommendations made in the review, Hertfordshire Police had implemented several changes, including awareness training, access to mentors and advisers during operations and assessing the experience of the force's Public Order Public Safety commanders.

In his letter to Ms Lynch, Mr Hall said: "I hope the actions we have taken indicate how seriously we have taken this matter and our clear intent to prevent this from happening again in the future."