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Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said the police were "dealing with a number of demonstrations taking place across London" on Tuesday.
"We have officers out on the ground engaging with protesters and local communities to ensure proportionate policing plans are in place," Wingrove said.
"We need to ensure we are striking the right balance between allowing the right to a peaceful protest, while ensuring disruption to communities is kept to a minimum."
The police said those arrested included five people detained on suspicion of criminal damage in south London's Lambeth area, where protesters vandalized oil giant Shell's office, spraying slogans including "climate criminals" on the front of the building.
Activists parked a trailer with a pink boat bearing the message "Tell the truth" at Oxford Circus, one of London's busiest shopping areas, on Monday.
They blocked nearby Marble Arch and Waterloo Bridge to traffic in the "Shut down London" protest.
Roads near Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square were also closed as hundreds of protesters gathered at each location, some blocking carriageways with plants, sculptures, tents and other objects.
The boat remained in place, and the Marble Arch and Waterloo protests continued on Tuesday.
Gail Bradbrook, one of the organizers, told broadcaster ITV that the the group wants to "get people to have a conversation" about the impact of climate change.
"I do apologize for the inconvenience caused but... I've two boys, 10 and 13, and they won't have enough food to eat in a few years' time," she added.
Bradbrook quoted renowned broadcaster and wildlife presenter David Attenborough's warning to a UN climate change summit in December, which is a campaign slogan for Extinction Rebellion.
"If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon," Attenborough said.
Extinction Rebellion held similar small protests on Monday in cities including Berlin, Heidelberg, Brussels, Lausanne, Edinburgh, Madrid, Denver and Melbourne.
US actor Willem Dafoe, British actress Emma Thompson, US philosopher and left-wing activist Noam Chomsky, and Canadian "No Logo" author Naomi Klein are among the high-profile supporters of the group.
Launched last year by several environmental groups, Extinction Rebellion, also known as XR, wants governments to "tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency [and] reverse inconsistent policies."
It has urged Britain and other nations to enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, and set up a national citizen's assembly to oversee changes in environmental policy.
Police also arrested more than 70 Extinction Rebellion supporters in November for blocking several bridges in central London.
"We have officers out on the ground engaging with protesters and local communities to ensure proportionate policing plans are in place," Wingrove said.
"We need to ensure we are striking the right balance between allowing the right to a peaceful protest, while ensuring disruption to communities is kept to a minimum."
The police said those arrested included five people detained on suspicion of criminal damage in south London's Lambeth area, where protesters vandalized oil giant Shell's office, spraying slogans including "climate criminals" on the front of the building.
Activists parked a trailer with a pink boat bearing the message "Tell the truth" at Oxford Circus, one of London's busiest shopping areas, on Monday.
They blocked nearby Marble Arch and Waterloo Bridge to traffic in the "Shut down London" protest.
Roads near Piccadilly Circus and Parliament Square were also closed as hundreds of protesters gathered at each location, some blocking carriageways with plants, sculptures, tents and other objects.
The boat remained in place, and the Marble Arch and Waterloo protests continued on Tuesday.
Gail Bradbrook, one of the organizers, told broadcaster ITV that the the group wants to "get people to have a conversation" about the impact of climate change.
"I do apologize for the inconvenience caused but... I've two boys, 10 and 13, and they won't have enough food to eat in a few years' time," she added.
Bradbrook quoted renowned broadcaster and wildlife presenter David Attenborough's warning to a UN climate change summit in December, which is a campaign slogan for Extinction Rebellion.
"If we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon," Attenborough said.
Extinction Rebellion held similar small protests on Monday in cities including Berlin, Heidelberg, Brussels, Lausanne, Edinburgh, Madrid, Denver and Melbourne.
US actor Willem Dafoe, British actress Emma Thompson, US philosopher and left-wing activist Noam Chomsky, and Canadian "No Logo" author Naomi Klein are among the high-profile supporters of the group.
Launched last year by several environmental groups, Extinction Rebellion, also known as XR, wants governments to "tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency [and] reverse inconsistent policies."
It has urged Britain and other nations to enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, and set up a national citizen's assembly to oversee changes in environmental policy.
Police also arrested more than 70 Extinction Rebellion supporters in November for blocking several bridges in central London.
