'I told police about masked Dover protests - but officers called it spontaneous'

Maz Garside claims she told Counter Terror Police about action planned in Dover involving men in balaclavas, the Tuesday before the protests. A woman has said she warned police about the masked mass protest in Dover days before it happened, despite officers calling it 'spontaneous'. , Kent Police admit getting a tip-off late on Friday evening that a protest could take place in the town the following day – but that intelligence was not fully assessed. Maz Garside, from Portsmouth, claims she told Counter Terror Police about action planned in Dover involving men in balaclavas, led by Tommy Robinson's 'right-hand man' Daniel Thomas, on the Tuesday before the protests. : 'I could not believe when the police said they knew nothing. They had the intel because I told them. ', says she was given 'fourth-hand information' about a vulnerable rough sleeper, who had admitted in counselling he was recruited to attend a meeting in Woking, At that meeting, it is alleged that people were being asked to 'take part in something going on in Dover'. According to the information given to Maz, she claims the people at the meeting were 'told to wear black, access a balaclava, and 'had to hand in theirShe said 'I looked online and I found there was a Counter Terrorism Police site. 'I found a link which said 'report online'. It said 'how to report possible terrorist activity', so I completed that online form. 'Maz said she voluntarily gave her full details, including email address and phone number, but claims 'no one got in contact – nothing'. Maz made her report on Tuesday September 1, and told officers she understood that the action might take place within the next day or two. It was then four days later that hundreds of masked protestors arrived in Dover, stood in the middle of the roads in a 'stop the boats' protest. By midday those involved had dispersed, and normal traffic flows resumed, with traffic clearing fairly quickly. ' However, the force were criticised as slow to react, with Dover District Council leader saying that protestors 'caught several agencies on the hoof' Maz cannot understand why Kent Police did not appear more ready for the action given her report to Counter Terror Police. Other local antiracism campaigners, who asked not to be named to protect their identity, independently backed up claims that a police report was submitted to police days ahead of the protest. 'Early last week we received some information that Danny Tommo had had a meeting with lots of men and they were planning to go to Dover in a series of mini-buses. 'We assumed it was going to be the next day. My information was the police had been informed of this, but they claim it was entirely spontaneous. ' Chris Vinson, Conservative leader of the opposition in Dover District Council, said the Police have significant questions to answer about why they weren't aware of it in advance'. He added: 'Anyone who saw the planned and coordinated arrival of vanloads of men, dressed entirely in black, on the streets of Dover this Saturday, will know that the Police description of the protest as 'spontaneous' is utter nonsense. ' 'The Police need to tell us when they knew about this protest, and if they knew about it in advance then why do they appear to have done nothing to prepare for it. Residents in Dover need to be reassured that this won't happen again'. 'I have raised my concerns with the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office and the Policing Minister that police intelligence functions must be capable of detecting such activity so the police can be fully prepared. ''I was assaulted at Reform's conference - the party celebrates attacks on women' He said: 'The protest organisers adopted a different approach to previous protests, and as part of our commitment to public safety we have examined our decision-making to identify any lessons, to ensure we are well prepared for future events organised in a similar way. 'During that initial review, we found the force had received non-emergency information late on Friday evening that a protest could take place in the town the following day. This information was not fully assessed. If it was, it may have allowed the force to consider its resourcing. 'However, this information would not have prevented the lawful protest from taking place, nor the disruption experienced by the town, port and wider community. 'We have asked the College of Policing to conduct a learning review to independently examine the processes involved. 'John DunneDead teenager's family thought he was alive in hospital for weeks after ID mix-upMystery Escape