This area of our website aims to explain our response to protest associated with shale gas and oil exploration and extraction in Lancashire, more commonly referred to as ‘fracking’.
Cuadrilla Resources carried out work at a site on Preston New Road near Blackpool from January 2017, which attracted local and national opposition with associated protest activity. A policing operation was in place until December 2019, when it was stood down after the government announced a moratorium on fracking.
The policing operation took no sides in the matter. The intention was to ensure a consistent and coordinated policing response and ensure a balance between the rights of people to lawfully protest, together with the rights of the wider public, including local businesses, to go about their lawful activities.
Frequently asked questions
How many arrests were made as part of the police operation for fracking?
The table below shows the number of arrests made as part of the police operation for fracking on Preston New Road between January 2017 and December 2019.
|
Number of arrests |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
October |
November |
December |
Total |
|
2017 |
6 | 27 | 43 | 22 | 41 | 45 | 95 | 36 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 332 |
|
2018 |
13 |
5 |
4 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 104 |
|
2019 |
0 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
How much did the police operation for fracking cost?
The table below shows the costs related to policing the fracking operation:
|
Costs related to policing the fracking operation |
Jan 2017 - Mar 2017 (£m) |
Apr 2017 - Mar 2018 (£m) |
Apr 2018 - Mar 2019 (£m) |
Apr 2019 – Mar 2020 (£m) |
Total (£m) |
|
Officer plain time (officers who work on the fracking operation who are already scheduled to work) |
0.703 |
2.154 |
1.286 |
0.340 |
4.483 |
|
Officer overtime |
0.240 |
2.711 |
2.639 |
1.410 |
7.000 |
|
Non-staff costs (equipment, food, hire cars, welfare vans etc) |
0.025 |
0.284 |
0.147 |
0.079 |
0.535 |
|
Mutual aid (when we have called in support from other forces) |
0.000 |
0.695 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.695 |
|
Consequential costs (for example if an officer works on the fracking operation but takes a day of in lieu rather than overtime) |
0.031 |
0.100 |
0.063 |
0.022 |
0.216 |
|
Total cost of policing |
0.999 |
5.944 |
4.135 |
1.851 |
12.929 |