Senior police officers are to look at a report into kettling to see if the force should change its tactics for dealing with protests.

Research from the University of Brighton suggests forcing crowds together and then charging them can make protesters more violent.

Dr Chris Cocking interviewed 20 people involved in student tuition fee protests in Brighton in 2010.

Liaison Chief Inspector Jim Bartlett, of Sussex Police, said the force had co-operated with the research.

He said: “Since this research was conducted in 2010, we have continually reviewed our approach to policing protests and other large events.

“We have responded to a new national best practice and, significantly, last year introduced a new liaison officer role to improve dialogue between police and protesters.

“This has a positive impact on how we can plan for events and helps achieve a ‘no surprises’ approach to policing on the day.

“We will now fully consider this latest research and would welcome another visit from its authors to further discuss our approach.”

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