THE Metropolitan Police came under fresh fire today for the arrests it made of protesters at the coronation of Charles Windsor, with one safety volunteer claiming she had been specifically targeted.

Night Stars volunteer Suzie Melvin told the Commons home affairs committee, as part of an urgent investigation into the arrests, that officers had gone out specifically looking for members of her group.

The group is a part of Westminster Council’s safety scheme, in partnership with the Met, and hands out rape alarms as part of anti-spiking kits for people enjoying a night out.

There had been reports in the lead-up to the ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey that demonstrators could set off rape alarms and throw them at horses involved in the coronation procession in an attempt to disrupt the event.

Republic chief executive Graham Smith told the committee that he had been prevented from contacting his named liaison officer during his arrest.

Six members of the anti-monarchy group were the first to be arrested under the Public Order Act that was rushed through Parliament and came into force just days before the coronation on May 6.

A total of 62 people were arrested on the day in London.

The group had been in contact with the force for months before the coronation to agree details of the planned protest, Mr Smith told the MPs, but six of its supporters unloading placards were arrested on suspicion of planning to “lock on” because they had luggage straps on them.

Mr Smith said his group had set out how many placards his protest group would be bringing, what they would say on them, confirmed they would have amplifiers and megaphones with them and issued officers with maps detailing where the demonstrations would be located.

He said that, on his arrest, he named the superintendent the group had met in person.

“I named the liaison officer and attempted to phone her and [the arresting officer] twice stopped me from doing that, including grabbing my wrist and removing the phone from my hand,” Mr Smith said.

He also questioned the definition of devices that could be used to lock on.

“I’ve turned up today with five lock-on devices on my person,” Mr Smith said.

“My tie, my watch, my belt and two shoelaces.

“Someone could have phoned up the Met and said: ‘Well he’s planning to lock himself to the chair when he’s during the middle of the committee,’ and should I spend 16 hours in detention for that so-called intelligence and so-called lock-on devices?”

Earlier, when told that there was no history of Republic using lock-on tactics, Met Police temporary assistant commissioner Matt Twist said that the officers did not know that the straps would be used to secure placards.

“Officers have to make a difficult judgment at the time, in the moment, based on what they are faced with and based on the information they have,” he said.

Mr Twist denied that the force was put under political pressure to protect “the look” of the coronation by cracking down on protesters.

The i newspaper previously quoted an anonymous senior police source saying that there had been “a very firm instruction not to damage the reputation of the UK.”

Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters disrupted the committee meeting in the morning, with 33-year-old activist Dr Kush Naker beginning to read a prepared statement before the group was removed.

“We are here today because our democracy is under threat,” Dr Naker was able to read.

The action consisted of five JSO supporters from a group of 19 arrested on the day of the coronation.

A JSO spokesperson said: “The Metropolitan Police baselessly arrested doctors, lecturers, students and electricians simply for possessing flags and T-shirts.

“No evidence has been provided and now those wrongfully arrested are being prevented from giving evidence to the very committee that has been organised to assess the policing during the coronation.”  

The Met has referred itself to the police watchdog for the arrest and detention of a royal fan on the day, expressing “regret.”

Eight JSO supporters were also arrested for peacefully marching in Parliament Square today after a Section 12 public order notice was issued earlier.

The action was a part of the group’s daily protest against new fossil fuel licences.