Peaceful non-cooperation: locals and supporters play boules on Sandy Lane Leyton Marshes

At 9.50 am this morning, while locals and their supporters were enjoying a game of boules, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, who is in charge of fire arms, Olympic security, and terrorism, accompanied by a civil servant from the Home Office, who claimed to be in charge of Olympic security, visited the encampment on Leyton Marshes, where local residents have been joined by supporters from the the Occupy Movement in a bid to prevent the construction of Olympic practice basketball courts on open parkland. The camp on Leyton Marshes has sprung up as part of peaceful non-cooperation with the Olympic Authority’s bid to build on land classified as Metropolitan Open Land.Met Police Assistant Commissioner (left) and an unknown man (suit) arrive at Leyton Marshes

The Assistant Commissioner and the civil servant walked onto the site and immediately walked off it again, spending only a few minutes there.  They refused to enter into any dialog with locals and declined the invitation to look at the damage done to Leyton Marsh by the Olympic construction project. BBC and other media were there to record the posse turn tail, retreating to a vehicle in the car park which then sped away.  The Met Police's press office commented ...

"In his role as the National Olympic Security Coordinator, AC Allison has visited a number of Olympic venues and locations.  As there has been an ongoing protest at a location that the Assistant Commissioner had not previously visited he wanted to see the area in person." 

Locals and their supporters had been alerted to the "possibility of a visit by important officials", by a man dressed as a Community Police Support Officer the day before.

Neither the Assistant Commissioner nor the man in the suit looked comfortable, however they clearly recognised the encampment's peaceful nature because neither were wearing stab proof jackets, as is normally customary for Met Police Officers. The rank of Assistant Commissioner is the second from top in the Metropolitan Police.

The Assistant Commissioner and the gentleman in the suit leave while locals try and engage them in dialogue