Southampton Demonstrations – KINS Community Contact update from Inspector J Maidment, Southampton North Neighbourhood Policing Team – 12 September 2025

Dear KINS,

I write ahead of the anticipated attendance at Highfield House Hotel tomorrow and the upcoming weekend activities with a national protest in London on Saturday and the Southampton Vs Portsmouth football match being hosted at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday.

We do anticipate some attendance tomorrow, however our intelligence suggests that a large number of anti-migrant demonstrators will likely attend the London protest on Saturday instead.  Therefore, a proportionate policing plan remains in place, and we will continue to work closely with yourselves and the local community to manage these events safely and effectively as we move forward through September.

I wanted to reassure you that over the weekend we will have sufficient resources to respond to any spontaneous incidents, although there is no current indication that this may occur.  Police will continue to ensure public safety and facilitate a peaceful protest.

Communication has already been shared via media outlets earlier this week regarding the witness appeal for the arson at the hotel.  I have included this below my signature detail for your reference.  To keep you abreast of the investigation, we are still conducting enquiries into the incident and would encourage anyone from the local community with information to get in touch.

We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in contact with community representatives to support a balanced and safe approach to any future gatherings.

At this stage it is anticipated that protests at this location are likely to continue on a weekly basis.

If you have any information or concerns, please contact us via:

Online reporting

101 (non-emergency)

999 (emergency only)

Contact your local policing team | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

Kind regards,

Jeanette

Inspector 24389 Maidment

Southampton NPT Inspector (Portswood & Bitterne North)

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Press release:

Officers are investigating an arson at the Highfield House Hotel, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning (September 7).

We were called around 2.15am, after a flare was put through an open ground-floor window. Thankfully, the fire caused by the flare was quickly put out and nobody was injured.

Enquiries are underway to establish the exact circumstances of the incident, including locating two people seen approaching the hotel and then fleeing the scene.

The two people left the area along Shaftesbury Avenue. One was wearing a dark hooded top and had his face covered, and the other had a white hooded top on.

Following the incident, officers were at the hotel on Sunday conducting enquiries, with these continuing this week. We are also carrying out additional patrols in the area this week.

If you have any information which could assist our enquiries, then we would urge you to get in touch, either by calling 101 or by going to our website, and quoting the reference 44250404868.

Chief Inspector Chris Douglas said: “Fortunately, this fire was quickly put out, but this was an extremely dangerous act and could have had fatal consequences.

“Our local neighbourhood policing team will be carrying out additional patrols in Portswood in the coming days, and if anyone has any concerns then please do speak to them.

“I want to urge anyone with information, however small you think it may be, to get in touch and share this with us. If you have any CCTV which may have captured the two men either in the moments leading up to or after the incident, then we would ask you to share this with us.

“We are working closely with local authorities as part of this investigation.”

You can also share information 100 per cent anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or by going to their website.