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<\/p>\nCOPS spent nearly \u00a32million \u2018unsticking\u2019 crusties from Insulate Britain protests on major roads it emerged.<\/p>\n
The huge policing cost comes as the Home Office has unveiled a raft of new powers to stop the eco-zeolots from causing more chaos by \u201clocking-on\u201d at demos.<\/p>\n
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Powers being added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill today will allow cops to seize chains, glue and bamboo scaffolding from the eco-extremists.<\/p>\n
It comes as the Metropolitan Police revealed the cost of policing \u2018Insulate Britain\u2019 between September 13and the October 10 this year was \u00a31,961,616.<\/p>\n
The Met\u2019s Deputy Commissioner, Sir Steve House, said: \u201cWe have seen individuals lock themselves to the drive shafts of vehicles, locked together in tubes encased in concrete, locked onto structures at height, and glued to roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemoving these lock-ons safely requires specialist policing teams to be deployed to what can be high risk environments, taking time and significant resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is time that our officers are taken away from policing their local communities and local policing priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Home Secretary Priti Patel added: \u201cWe have seen some of the most self-defeating and dangerous protests ever seen in recent years with people gluing themselves to roads and locking themselves to vehicles and buildings, causing serious disruption to the law-abiding majority across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are selfish actions which drain the police of resources which should be used in our communities, protecting the vulnerable people who need them most."<\/p>\n
Ministers also want to make the act of locking-on a criminal offence punishable with six months behind bars and an unlimited fine.<\/p>\n
Blocking a motorway would have the same punishment.<\/p>\n