Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered police forces to make full use of powers to ban face coverings and step up surveillance technology, following clashes between anti-migrant demonstrators and counter-protesters in Portsmouth.

Police chiefs across the country have been instructed to enforce 24-hour mask bans and deploy facial recognition, CCTV, automatic number plate recognition, and body-worn cameras to clamp down on disorder at future anti-migration rallies.

The directive follows tense scenes in Portsmouth on Saturday, where up to 500 anti-migrant demonstrators and roughly 300 counter-protesters gathered in the city centre. Tensions escalated in Guildhall Square when police escorted counter-demonstrators to within 30 to 40 feet of the anti-migrant crowd, GB News reported from the scene.

Hampshire Police confirmed three arrests were made during Saturday's operation under newly imposed powers. Officers detained a 76-year-old man suspected of concealing his identity after a face-covering ban took effect, a 33-year-old Portsmouth man on suspicion of obstructing a highway and criminal damage, and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of violent disorder connected to an earlier incident at Eastney Marina.

In a separate update regarding that earlier unrest on 6 September, Hampshire Police confirmed a 42-year-old man from Paulsgrove was also arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and assaulting a police officer. The disorder at Eastney Marina occurred after 120 migrants were brought ashore by RNLI lifeboats, leading to demonstrators blocking coaches, damaging emergency vehicles, and targeting RNLI volunteers on social media.

Saturday's demonstration began outside All Saints Church on Commercial Road, with anti-migrant demonstrators carrying Union and St George flags, while Stand Up To Racism campaigners held a counter-march nearby. The operation was governed by powers under the Crime and Policing Act, granting officers the authority to prohibit and order the removal of face coverings.

Setting out the strategy, Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo emphasised that the restrictions were designed to curb intimidation and disorder rather than halt peaceful assembly, adding that the measures were being enforced impartially across all groups.

Simon Magorian of Stand Up To Racism Portsmouth labelled the earlier Eastney events a "horrible spectacle" and said campaigners were mobilising against far-right street movements. Anti-migrant demonstrators speaking at the rally voiced frustration over small boat crossings and border security.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones welcomed the management of the day, thanking officers for their handling of the crowds and enforcement of the mask restrictions. Similar face-covering bans were mirrored on Saturday by Northumbria Police in Newcastle and Staffordshire Police in Tamworth.

What we don't know yet is whether any of those arrested in connection with the Portsmouth demonstrations have been formally charged or released on bail as investigations continue.

I'll be following this one — check back for updates.