Britain’s top cop defends coronation arrests and says crowds cheered crackdown

But senior Tory David Davis attacked the wrongful arrests, blaming the government’s controversial Public Order Act

The chief of the Metropolitan Police has defended the force’s coronation arrests and claimed crowds actually cheered the crackdown.

Sir Mark Rowley said it was “unfortunate” the demonstrators were unable to join fellow activists on Saturday following their detention.

The six were the first arrests to be made under the sweeping Public Order Act, under suspicion of going equipped to “lock-on” – a measure protesters use to make it harder for police to move them.