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Police chiefs said yesterday that they would use controversial "penning in" tactics against any potential rioters if necessary during this year's May Day protest.
The Deputy Assistant Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, Andy Trotter, said it would be a testing time for the force, but added he believed they had the resources to cope with any problems.
In recent years the May Day protests have been marred by acts of vandalism that have caused thousands of pounds of damage in Oxford Street, Soho and Parliament Square. Some businesses in the capital have closed, causing big losses of trade.
There will be 3,000 police officers serving in London this May Day, including members of the City of London Police.
Mr Trotter said the Metropolitan Police had been unable to identify any specific theme from the protesters for this year's 1 May event. Among some of the demonstrations planned are "cleaning the Square Mile", which is billed as an anti-capitalist roaming protest, and "students against fees". There will also be a "class war" demonstration and a protest called "weapons of mass construction".
He said: "We are expecting rather more desegregated groups running around various parts of London. Our objective is to make sure those who wish to demonstrate lawfully and peacefully can do that."
In past years, the police have come under fire for penning in demonstrators who they believed may cause trouble. This happened in a previous demonstration when hundreds of protesters gathered near Oxford Circus Underground Station were restrained by police officers.
Asked whether that tactic could be used again, Mr Trotter replied: "If we suspect serious disorder or damage may happen, then we could put that into place. We will use it if necessary."
He added: "The clear message for anyone who wants to cause trouble is that if we don't get you on the day, we will get you afterwards."
Mr Trotter said it was difficult to predict the numbers likely to be involved in the various demonstrations, which might include anti-war protests, on Thursday, adding that the effect of the war in Iraq would be hard to gauge.
He said: "It will be a challenging day for the Metbut we have a sufficient number of resources to deal with this."
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