Police have arrested a number of people as protesters marched around central London to campaign after the death of Sarah Everard.

Hundreds of people had gathered in central London to pay tribute to the 33-year-old marketing executive.

People at the vigil in Parliament Square in Westminster held banners and chanted as dozens of police officers watched on and then moved in on the crowds.

Campaigners were given an ultimatum to go home or be arrested as dozens were stopped over breaching coronavirus restrictions.

One female protester told officers she was in her local area and had been going home before she was detained.

Another demonstrator was placed in handcuffs while fellow campaigners shouted "don't kneel on his neck".

Police officers could be heard instructing them to leave immediately.

The vigil comes despite an appeal from UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for people not to participate in large gatherings or to attend protests while Covid-19 regulations remain in place.

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister has given his backing to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, despite the "very distressing" scenes at a similar event over the weekend.

Boris Johnson said police had a "very difficult job" to do as the force continued to face questions over its handling of the vigil in south London.

In ugly scenes,officers clashed with crowds gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friend's flat on 3 March.

Her remains were found in an area of woodland in Ashford in Kent a week later.

Serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with kidnapping and killing the marketing executive.

Mr Johnson chaired a meeting of his government's Crime and Justice Taskforce earlier, to discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence, with Commissioner Dick among the attendees.

Commissioner Dick made no comment as she arrived for the discussions at Downing Street.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Johnson said he still had confidence in her.

He told reporters in Coventry: "Yes I do. And what she's asked is ... that we look at what happened on Saturday night.

"The police do have a very, very difficult job. But there's no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing and so it is right that Tom Winsor, the inspector of constabulary, should do a full report into it.

"I think people have got to have confidence in the police and Tom is going to look at that."

Asked if police had been "just enforcing Covid rules" set by the government, Mr Johnson said: "The reality is that the country is united still in shock and grief about what happened to Sarah Everard and we must do everything we can to find the answers.

"Today in the House of Commons, there's a debate beginning and a vote tomorrow on new measures that the government is bringing in for tougher sentences for rapists ... and new measures to tackle domestic violence.

"I hope those go through.

"But I think the fundamental issue that we have to address as a country, and as a society and as a government, is that ... women in particular must feel that when they make serious complaints about violence, about assault, that they are properly heard.

"We are going to make sure that that happens."

Calls for Commissioner Dick to resign were led by Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey while Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was "untenable".

Labour's shadow policing minister Sarah Jones did not back the calls, urging for the focus "to be on Sarah Everard and the increasing problems of violence against women".

"There's going to be an investigation, we know that, and we need some answers, because we were given assurances and I think we all felt that the response on Saturday was the wrong one," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

A YouGov poll of 5,168 adults in the UK indicated 47% backed Cressida Dick to remain in post, with 23% calling for her to go.

She said that what had happened to Ms Everard made her "more determined, not less" to lead the Metropolitan force, as she resisted calls to quit over the events.

Flowers laid in memory of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common bandstand

Meanwhile the British police watchdog has said it is launching two new separate investigations relating to the Sarah Everard case, following referrals from the Metropolitan Police.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had completed assessments of four referred cases and it would be commencing investigations into two of them.

One will examine how Wayne Couzens, the serving officer charged with Ms Everard's murder, came to sustain serious injuries while in custody.

He sustained head injuries on 10 March and 12 March and was treated in hospital on both occasions.

The other investigation will examine an "inappropriate" graphic that was allegedly shared by an officer who took part in search operations.

The Met said the graphic was reported by a number of colleagues who were "concerned by its content".

It comes as investigations into Ms Everard's death continue in the town of Sandwich, Kent.

Police divers in Sandwich, Kent today

Today officers combed a supermarket car park, while specialist divers were seen searching a stretch of water, and large portions of the historic town remained cordoned off with police tape.