Equipping our first responders to deal with public disorder

17 Sep 2025
Protecting the Protectors Stage Sponsored by Texport
Police
Last year’s riots shocked us all as violence spread across the country, triggered by the murder of three young girls in Southport. In the first of our panels hosted by the College of Policing we look at the first responders and how we protect them in the face of public disorder. The police inspectorate said that policing should assess the suitability and availability of PPE not just for officers but horses and dogs. Join our experts as they tell us what they have to protect them, what they learned from the riots and what that feels like to be the middle of violent incidents.
Chairperson
Andy Rhodes
Andy Rhodes, Director - National Police Wellbeing Service - College of Policing
Speakers
Laura Douglas
Laura Douglas, Policing Standards Manager - Specialist Ops - College of Policing
Andy Hunt
Andy Hunt, Public Order Public Safety Subject Matter Expert - POPS Team  - College of Policing