Legal authority for 28 day exclusion notices at Britannia Hotel protest

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.25.046517

I note you seek access to the following information:

Regarding the Metropolitan Police’s use of 28-day exclusion powers at the protest outside the Britannia International Hotel, Canary Wharf, as reported in the media (e.g., Evening Standard article dated 1 August 2025).

Specifically, I am requesting the following information:

• The exact statutory authority (including the name of the Act and relevant section) that was relied upon by officers to issue 28-day exclusion or dispersal notices to protestors at the Canary Wharf hotel on or around late July 2025.
• A copy of any operational guidance, briefing notes, or policy documents provided to officers in relation to these powers at the event.
• Whether these 28-day bans were issued under:
• A court-issued injunction,
• Criminal Behaviour Orders,
• Bail conditions following arrest,
• Or another legal mechanism — and if so, which one.
• If the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 was cited, please provide:
• The specific section of the Act referred to,
• And how it provides authority to issue 28-day exclusion orders to individuals in a protest context.
• A copy of any template exclusion notice or written documentation provided to protestors at the scene.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full. Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

The senior officer on scene on Sunday 3 August 2025 imposed a direction under s42 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 for a group at the Briannia Internation Hotel, Marsh Wall to disperse immediately and not return, this was imposed for 28 days.

No written notices were provided to the protestors. S42(3) of the Criminal Just and Police Act States: A direction under this section may be given orally; and where a constable is entitled to give a direction under this section to each of several persons outside, or in the vicinity of, any premises, they may give that direction to those persons by notifying them of his requirements either individually or all together.

Find below the guidance document provided to senior officers on the use of s42 CJPA 2021.