Difficult to read, even this far removed from the riots. Very moving, very informative.
August 11, 2011: Police tell of life on the frontline during riots: fatigue and hunger under hail of missiles. Public support for officers on the frontline has helped keep up morale amid chaos, frustration and 20-hour shifts
Showing posts with label England riots 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England riots 2011. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
More headlines ripped from the pages of Google News. The quote from eGov monitor about Cameron saying that the Met's senior officers were wrong to treat the riots as public disorder instead of criminality set off a predictable uproar at the Met was somewhat unfair if the Met and the vacationing Cameron could only have communicated with each other via carrier pigeon.
However, Cameron and the Met knew within the first hours of the riots that the incidents couldn't be controlled by the 'softly softly' domestic policy of the British government and should have switched gears. This fact brought forth a diatribes from a worker in the financial sector who wrote for the Market Oracle. I think he might have connected too many dots and flung around too many accusations but his fury was justified. See here and here for his op-eds.
However, for Cameron to up-end decades of policy and order an adequate police response, he would need the political winds at his back. And for the Met to go ahead on its own initiative to order the police would have required having someone at the top at the Met with the political clout to make the order stick. (If I recall the top post was vacant at the time the riots broke out, but I'd go back and check to be sure.)
And yet the problem the Met and Cameron initially faced was circular: if the police had cracked down at the start, the riots would have been quickly contained, leading to the accusation of unnecessary police force! Even with the relatively mild police crackdown, there were such accusations. See the headline from the Socialist Worker, below. The problem shouldn't have been such that it froze the Met and Cameron, but there's nothing like Monday-morning quarterbacking.
Financial Times - Elizabeth Rigby, Jim Pickard - 45 minutes ago
The army might also be called on for support if riots occur again. Police tactics were revisited many times in the debate as politicians voiced anger that innocent
UK riots: four days of chaos that reshaped the political landscape
The Guardian - 45 minutes ago
'This is not about poverty, this is about culture,' David Cameron told parliament. 'In too many cases, the parents of these children – if they are still around – don't care where their children are or who they are with, let alone what they are doing. ...
Rioters could be sprayed with dye says David Cameron
Mirror.co.uk - 5 hours ago
By Mirror.co.uk 11/08/2011 David Cameron has not ruled out allowing police to spray rioters with dye so they can be identified and arrested later. The controversial tactic has been used in other countries, most famously by the apartheid regime in South ...
UK riots: text of David Cameron's address to Commons
Telegraph.co.uk - 9 hours ago
And, as I said yesterday, while they would not be appropriate now, we do have in place contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours notice. Some people have raised the issue of the Army. The Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan ...
Nations Mocking Britain Over Riots
Mathaba.Net - 9 hours ago
Libya's Foreign Minister, the Assistant Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation, said that British Prime Minister Cameron had lost all legitimacy and should step down, because of the force used ...
Cameron uses riots as excuse to crack down
Socialistworker.co.uk - Tom Walker - 8 hours ago
And another Tory, Conor Burns, called on Cameron to “scrap the Human Rights Act”. Tory father of the house Sir Peter Tapsell even called for Cameron to round up “hoods” and put them in Wembley stadium. Syrian dictator Bashar Assad used this tactic ...
UK Riots: PM Announces £30 Million To Rebuild Communities And Raft Of New ...
eGov monitor - 5 hours ago
In addition, the Prime Minister said senior officers were wrong in treating the looting as public disorder when it should have been treated as criminal acts. However, the Prime Minister was effusive in his praise of the brave work done by police ...
However, Cameron and the Met knew within the first hours of the riots that the incidents couldn't be controlled by the 'softly softly' domestic policy of the British government and should have switched gears. This fact brought forth a diatribes from a worker in the financial sector who wrote for the Market Oracle. I think he might have connected too many dots and flung around too many accusations but his fury was justified. See here and here for his op-eds.
However, for Cameron to up-end decades of policy and order an adequate police response, he would need the political winds at his back. And for the Met to go ahead on its own initiative to order the police would have required having someone at the top at the Met with the political clout to make the order stick. (If I recall the top post was vacant at the time the riots broke out, but I'd go back and check to be sure.)
And yet the problem the Met and Cameron initially faced was circular: if the police had cracked down at the start, the riots would have been quickly contained, leading to the accusation of unnecessary police force! Even with the relatively mild police crackdown, there were such accusations. See the headline from the Socialist Worker, below. The problem shouldn't have been such that it froze the Met and Cameron, but there's nothing like Monday-morning quarterbacking.
Financial Times - Elizabeth Rigby, Jim Pickard - 45 minutes ago
The army might also be called on for support if riots occur again. Police tactics were revisited many times in the debate as politicians voiced anger that innocent
UK riots: four days of chaos that reshaped the political landscape
The Guardian - 45 minutes ago
'This is not about poverty, this is about culture,' David Cameron told parliament. 'In too many cases, the parents of these children – if they are still around – don't care where their children are or who they are with, let alone what they are doing. ...
Rioters could be sprayed with dye says David Cameron
Mirror.co.uk - 5 hours ago
By Mirror.co.uk 11/08/2011 David Cameron has not ruled out allowing police to spray rioters with dye so they can be identified and arrested later. The controversial tactic has been used in other countries, most famously by the apartheid regime in South ...
UK riots: text of David Cameron's address to Commons
Telegraph.co.uk - 9 hours ago
And, as I said yesterday, while they would not be appropriate now, we do have in place contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours notice. Some people have raised the issue of the Army. The Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan ...
Nations Mocking Britain Over Riots
Mathaba.Net - 9 hours ago
Libya's Foreign Minister, the Assistant Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation, said that British Prime Minister Cameron had lost all legitimacy and should step down, because of the force used ...
Cameron uses riots as excuse to crack down
Socialistworker.co.uk - Tom Walker - 8 hours ago
And another Tory, Conor Burns, called on Cameron to “scrap the Human Rights Act”. Tory father of the house Sir Peter Tapsell even called for Cameron to round up “hoods” and put them in Wembley stadium. Syrian dictator Bashar Assad used this tactic ...
UK Riots: PM Announces £30 Million To Rebuild Communities And Raft Of New ...
eGov monitor - 5 hours ago
In addition, the Prime Minister said senior officers were wrong in treating the looting as public disorder when it should have been treated as criminal acts. However, the Prime Minister was effusive in his praise of the brave work done by police ...
England Riots, August 10 developments
Two men have been sentenced to 10 weeks and 16 weeks for their part in last night's disorder in Manchester, Greater Manchester Police reports. The force tweets: "Swift justice," adding they will be the "first of many".From the Telegraph's coverage of the riots:
London and UK riots: August 10 as it happened
"Rolling coverage of the riots as police braced to counter further disturbances in cities across the country after the first suspected looters appear in court."
Counterswarm in England riots: headlines on role of social media
I pulled the headlines (below) from Google News. On one level the use of social to counter the rioters is heartening. On another level the huge emphasis that the mainstream media gave to the 'Internet patrols,' as against the relatively light coverage given to the on-foot citizen patrols points to a disturbing trend, which manifested full-blown during Egypt's 'revolution': the attempt to give social media a much greater role and signifance in the struggle for freedom than it merits.
The same happened with press coverage of the mass protests that led to Mubarak's ouster. The citizen patrols in Cairo and other cities in Egypt that were formed to protect civilian life and property during the widespread arson and looting that descended -- patrols often working in tandem with the police, who'd led their offcials posts -- were an example of a true counterswarm tactic.
Yet publics around the world were unaware of the situation if they were taking their understanding of the unrest in Egypt from television; that's because major media TV (notably CNN International and al Jazeera) were not showing viewers the violence that broken out all over the country.
Looters hunted down via websites
Sydney Morning Herald - 7 hours ago
LONDON: Some Britons have taken to social networking sites to expose rioters who went on the rampage, posting photographs of masked gangs looting and hurling missiles. Much of the violence, which started in London but has since spread to other parts of ...
London Riots 2011: Violence Caught on Surveillance Cameras
ABC News - Ned Potter - 9 hours ago
London Police posted images of alleged rioters on Flickr, and asked the public to help identify them. (London Metropolitan Police/Flickr) British police, trying to catch instigators of the London riots, fought back with ...
The London Riots: Social Media's Latest Watershed Moment
PC Magazine - Peter Pachal - 9 hours ago
The police pursuing rioters in London have a new ally: social networks. How Twitter, Flickr, and their brethren are making the world a safer place. By Peter Pachal A city descends into chaos and rioting following a terrible loss ...
The same happened with press coverage of the mass protests that led to Mubarak's ouster. The citizen patrols in Cairo and other cities in Egypt that were formed to protect civilian life and property during the widespread arson and looting that descended -- patrols often working in tandem with the police, who'd led their offcials posts -- were an example of a true counterswarm tactic.
Yet publics around the world were unaware of the situation if they were taking their understanding of the unrest in Egypt from television; that's because major media TV (notably CNN International and al Jazeera) were not showing viewers the violence that broken out all over the country.
Looters hunted down via websites
Sydney Morning Herald - 7 hours ago
LONDON: Some Britons have taken to social networking sites to expose rioters who went on the rampage, posting photographs of masked gangs looting and hurling missiles. Much of the violence, which started in London but has since spread to other parts of ...
London Riots 2011: Violence Caught on Surveillance Cameras
ABC News - Ned Potter - 9 hours ago
London Police posted images of alleged rioters on Flickr, and asked the public to help identify them. (London Metropolitan Police/Flickr) British police, trying to catch instigators of the London riots, fought back with ...
The London Riots: Social Media's Latest Watershed Moment
PC Magazine - Peter Pachal - 9 hours ago
The police pursuing rioters in London have a new ally: social networks. How Twitter, Flickr, and their brethren are making the world a safer place. By Peter Pachal A city descends into chaos and rioting following a terrible loss ...
Counterswarm in England Riots: "Vigilantes' join 16,000 police on London streets"
This report from the Independent, as with similar reports on the same topic, might be misleading because the question is which came first: the larger police deployment or the appearance of citizen patrols (called 'vigiliantes' at first by the British media). I will have to dig through the old news reports to nail down the answer, although I'm leaning toward the answer that it was the patrols. In any case, the phenomenon of the citzen patrols that arose during the rioting is, I believe, a true counter-swarm tactic albeit an unplanned one.
Counter-swarm in England Riots: Communities use social media to take streets back from the mobs
Daily Telegraph report.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/communities-use-social-media-to-take-back-the-streets-from-mob/story-e6freuy9-1226112382882
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/communities-use-social-media-to-take-back-the-streets-from-mob/story-e6freuy9-1226112382882
England riots: Rioters target police dog
Several police dogs suffered injuries during the rioting; some of the injuries were 'accidential;' e.g., the dogs' paws were cut up when they walked with unprotected paws on large amounts of broken glass, some were inflicted when the rioters targeted the dogs. One attack on a dog that really hit a sore nerve in the UK for its cruelty was reported by the Daily Mail. I hold the police responsible to some extent because once the police realized they were taking the dogs into a veritable war zone without giving them protective gear, they should have stopped using the dogs.
England riots: Headlines about uproar over historian David Starkey's remarks
UK RIOTS: David Starkey backed in furore over 'whites and black ...
Daily Mail - Jack Doyle - Simon Cable - 8 hours ago
'Rather than being racist, he was merely trotting out the conventional wisdom of the hour, namely, that gang culture is to blame for the riots. ...
Historian's racist remarks on UK riots spark uproar: NewsDay
UK riots: BBC under pressure to apologise for David Starkey's ... Telegraph.co.uk
Daily Mail - Jack Doyle - Simon Cable - 8 hours ago
'Rather than being racist, he was merely trotting out the conventional wisdom of the hour, namely, that gang culture is to blame for the riots. ...
Historian's racist remarks on UK riots spark uproar: NewsDay
UK riots: BBC under pressure to apologise for David Starkey's ... Telegraph.co.uk
"It was the sheer scale and speed with which the attacks took place across London last night that was truly unprecedented"
Tuesday August 9, 2011:
"Stretched beyond belief": Met police braces for more violence
There will be 13,000 police officers on duty in London tonight, as the Metropolitan police face unprecedented levels of disorder across the capital.
One senior officer said the Met was "stretched beyond belief" as it struggles to cope with violence across the city.
The Met is receiving reinforcements from nine other police forces, as well as British Transport police and City of London police, but it is far from clear the extra numbers will be sufficient to contain more rioting expected tonight.
"It was the sheer scale and speed with which the attacks took place across London last night that was truly unprecedented," deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh told BBC1's Breakfast programme.
"From Harrow in the north through to Croydon in the south, East Ham in the east to Ealing in the west, there were multiple fast-acting groups and the Met was "stretched beyond belief in a way that it has never experienced before".
The police are considering using more extreme tactics to control marauding mobs.
In Lavender Hill, the Metropolitan police used armoured police vehicles to push back over 150 people, bringing the area under control.
The tactic's success means it is now being considered elsewhere as required, the Met said.
"We are using tactics flexibly to respond to the disorder we are still seeing in different areas of the capital," Commander Christine Jones said.
"Anyone involved in criminality should be under no illusion that we will pursue you."
Despite stretched resources there were over 200 arrests last night, with CCTV examinations taking place during the night. There were a further 100 arrests in Birmingham.
Former Scotland Yard commander Roy Ramm warned that the Met could lose control of London's streets.
"That has to be a possibility and the home secretary and [Met] commissioner are going to have to make some difficult decisions," the Express newspaper quoted him as saying.
Headlines about England Riots, various sources
England riots: Theresa May under fire over proposed police curfew powers
The Guardian
Police powers are not the issue but officer numbers are, say rights groups. Link to this video Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the home secretary's proposal to give the police new powers to create "no-go" areas to clear the streets ...
Related:
UK Police May Require Curfew Powers to Tackle Riots, May Says: BusinessWeek
UK police foiled riots at Olympic venues: Herald Sun
In Depth: Politics and police prove volatile mix in Britain: Reuters
Wikipedia:2011 England riots
The Guardian
Police powers are not the issue but officer numbers are, say rights groups. Link to this video Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the home secretary's proposal to give the police new powers to create "no-go" areas to clear the streets ...
Related:
UK Police May Require Curfew Powers to Tackle Riots, May Says: BusinessWeek
UK police foiled riots at Olympic venues: Herald Sun
In Depth: Politics and police prove volatile mix in Britain: Reuters
Wikipedia:2011 England riots
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Aug 10: "Britain Calm Wednesday After 4 Straight Nights of Violence"
VOA:Britain Calm Wednesday After 4 Straight Nights of Violence
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 at 11:40 pm UTC
Britain had its first calm night Wednesday after four straight nights of riots that left parts of some British cities, including London, looking like war zones.
Police and witnesses report just minor incidents as thousands of riot police fill the streets of London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. British Prime Minister David Cameron has authorized police to use water cannons, which were used in Northern Ireland, but never in mainland Britain. He says a “fightback” is under way to restore law and order.
Mr. Cameron said Britain will not let a “culture of fear” take control of the country, saying police will be given anything they need to put down the violence. The prime minster has called Parliament away from its summer vacation for a special session Thursday.
Hundreds of youths — many saying they are sick of unemployment and cuts in government help — burned buildings and cars, looted stores, smashed windows, and attacked police. The violence was touched off by the police shooting death last week of a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood.
Police have arrested more than 1,100 people since Saturday. The youngest suspect is 11 years old. Many of the riot victims are small business owners who say they have taken up weapons to protect their property.
Birmingham police opened a murder investigation Wednesday when three men were run over by a car and killed apparently while trying to protect their neighborhood from looters. Police have a suspect in custody.
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 at 11:40 pm UTC
Britain had its first calm night Wednesday after four straight nights of riots that left parts of some British cities, including London, looking like war zones.
Police and witnesses report just minor incidents as thousands of riot police fill the streets of London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. British Prime Minister David Cameron has authorized police to use water cannons, which were used in Northern Ireland, but never in mainland Britain. He says a “fightback” is under way to restore law and order.
Mr. Cameron said Britain will not let a “culture of fear” take control of the country, saying police will be given anything they need to put down the violence. The prime minster has called Parliament away from its summer vacation for a special session Thursday.
Hundreds of youths — many saying they are sick of unemployment and cuts in government help — burned buildings and cars, looted stores, smashed windows, and attacked police. The violence was touched off by the police shooting death last week of a 29-year-old man in London's economically depressed Tottenham neighborhood.
Police have arrested more than 1,100 people since Saturday. The youngest suspect is 11 years old. Many of the riot victims are small business owners who say they have taken up weapons to protect their property.
Birmingham police opened a murder investigation Wednesday when three men were run over by a car and killed apparently while trying to protect their neighborhood from looters. Police have a suspect in custody.
"Britons use social networking sites to expose rioters"
Britons use social networking sites to expose rioters
(AFP) – August 10
LONDON — Britons took to social networking sites on Wednesday to expose the rioters who went on the rampage for four nights, posting photos of masked gangs looting and hurling missiles.
Much of the violence, which started in London but has since spread to other parts of the country, was captured on mobile phone cameras, video recorders or CCTV, and the images quickly found their way into cyberspace.
London's Metropolitan Police made a tentative attempt to use social media to track down suspects, putting up 25 photos of youths breaking into shops and lobbing missiles on photo-sharing site flickr.
But the official effort paled in comparison to the surge of activity by amateur web investigators.
One such project is a web page called "Catch A Looter", which has been set up on blog-hosting website tumblr and features dozens of photos from the London riots.
Images showed looters walking out of shops with electrical goods, clothes and bottles and close-up shots of rioters hurling missiles.
The anonymous creator of the site urged web surfers to get in touch with Crimestoppers, a charity that allows people to anonymously pass on information about crimes, if they recognised anyone on the site.
But just a day after it was set up, the creator announced the web page would no longer be updated, saying that with the riots spreading across the country "there are loads of photos and I can barely keep up".
"The beauty of social media is you can put these things up quickly, and take them down again too, without any cost," he said.
Another, more controversial, effort was under way to track down rioters, with a Google Group set up called "London Riots Facial Recognition".
Members of the group are reportedly using technology similar to Facebook's photo recognition tools to identify looters whose faces appear on the web.
It was quickly restricted to current members of people invited to join after concerns were raised in the media following discussions by the group's members on the legality of using facial recognition.
As well as using the web to hunt rioters, 'netizens' also launched a very British "anti-riot" on Wednesday with a Twitter and Facebook campaign entitled "OperationCupOfTea".
People were asked to "Stay in and drink tea" and post a photo of their beverage online, instead of going on the rampage. The project was one of the top trending topics on Twitter.
(AFP) – August 10
LONDON — Britons took to social networking sites on Wednesday to expose the rioters who went on the rampage for four nights, posting photos of masked gangs looting and hurling missiles.
Much of the violence, which started in London but has since spread to other parts of the country, was captured on mobile phone cameras, video recorders or CCTV, and the images quickly found their way into cyberspace.
London's Metropolitan Police made a tentative attempt to use social media to track down suspects, putting up 25 photos of youths breaking into shops and lobbing missiles on photo-sharing site flickr.
But the official effort paled in comparison to the surge of activity by amateur web investigators.
One such project is a web page called "Catch A Looter", which has been set up on blog-hosting website tumblr and features dozens of photos from the London riots.
Images showed looters walking out of shops with electrical goods, clothes and bottles and close-up shots of rioters hurling missiles.
The anonymous creator of the site urged web surfers to get in touch with Crimestoppers, a charity that allows people to anonymously pass on information about crimes, if they recognised anyone on the site.
But just a day after it was set up, the creator announced the web page would no longer be updated, saying that with the riots spreading across the country "there are loads of photos and I can barely keep up".
"The beauty of social media is you can put these things up quickly, and take them down again too, without any cost," he said.
Another, more controversial, effort was under way to track down rioters, with a Google Group set up called "London Riots Facial Recognition".
Members of the group are reportedly using technology similar to Facebook's photo recognition tools to identify looters whose faces appear on the web.
It was quickly restricted to current members of people invited to join after concerns were raised in the media following discussions by the group's members on the legality of using facial recognition.
As well as using the web to hunt rioters, 'netizens' also launched a very British "anti-riot" on Wednesday with a Twitter and Facebook campaign entitled "OperationCupOfTea".
People were asked to "Stay in and drink tea" and post a photo of their beverage online, instead of going on the rampage. The project was one of the top trending topics on Twitter.
"London Riots: Who's in Charge Here?" ABC News
"London Riots: Who's in Charge Here?"
By RICHARD ESPOSITO
Aug. 9, 2011
for ABC Nightline (USA)
After three nights and days of rioting and looting London finally is mobilizing a massive police response and a largely mute official London has begun to speak, and reach out in an effort to curb violence.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has publicly stated that 16,000 officers will be deployed tonight, and senior police official say that if more officers are needed there are 19,000 to 20,000 to draw from. According to law enforcement sources, the Metropolitan Police -- popularly known as Scotland Yard -- has called up at least 600 experienced officers from its special operations commands, including its counter-terror unit, to get the maximum number of officers with civil disorder training onto the streets.
When the rioting started, however, following the fatal shooting of an alleged drug dealer Thursday, Britain's ruling class was sitting by the pool. Mayor Johnson was on vacation. Prime Minister David Cameron was on vacation. Home Secretary Theresa May, the senior official in charge of policing, was also "on holiday." Scotland Yard, meanwhile, is currently leaderless following the resignation of senior officials over the cellphone hacking scandal.
PHOTOS of the London riots.
In short, policy experts in Britain tell ABC News, there was no senior political voice or senior police voice to implement an aggressive strategy, much less offer an official response or even give an explanation for the rioting to the public. Scotland Yard did not hold a press briefing until yesterday, on the third day of rioting that started in the North London neighborhood of Tottenham and has now spread to cities far from London.
"The first person who should have come back, Boris Johnson, didn't fly back from Vancouver until yesterday. Prime Minister David Cameron's plane did not touch down until this morning," one analyst told ABC. "Home Secretary Theresa May, the first to return, gave a less than convincing public performance."
Now that official London is back, Boris Johnson and senior police officials have begun engaging the media and the communities most affected. British law enforcement has received permission to investigate BlackBerry Messenger messages and text messages, which have been used by rioters to organize looting.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh, who oversees Territorial Policing at Scotland Yard, said at a press briefing that the force was thinking about the use of plastic bullets but that the Metropolitan Police were "not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away."
"The use of any tactics will be considered carefully," said Kavanagh. "That does not mean we are scared of using any tactic."
As part of an admittedly belated aggressive response police also have dedicated a website to images of the rioting culled from Closes Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV).
"It would have been wise on reflection if, immediately after the shooting, the police had been a little bit more receptive to community concerns and allowed some forum," noted Blair Gibbs, the head of Crime and Justice at the think tank Policy Project. "The police have to do that kind of direct engagement with people and have them vent their anger."
Police commanders told ABC that at this juncture they expect enough officers to flood the city that, barring some unforeseen violence, they will begin to curb the unrest. "We have seriously considered every tactical option available to us," said Kavanagh. "We will consider every option we have to keep you safe."
As they hit the streets more than 450 officers monitoring CCTV have been augmented by additional personnel to begin pouring over footage of the lawlessness in an effort to identify perpetrators of the violence and looting, sources said.
"I think it has now gone beyond any community concern over any police shooting," said Gibbs. "The widespread nature suggests we are simply into copycat violence by unsocialized men … getting away with lawlessness that they would otherwise not embark on. The scale of the rioting now is not reflecting any widespread poverty. It is criminality on a mass scale."
Sources in London tell ABC that a rumored curfew is highly unlikely to occur as it would cut to the core of the British sense of civil liberties, and the use of any army forces would only be as a last resort. Significantly, since the Ulster disturbances during the Irish "Troubles," the army has not trained any significant number of soldiers in managing civil disorder, and most of the troops who had such training were long ago mustered out.
Page 2 of 2
Aug. 9, 2011
Mark Duggan Shooting
The rioting began after the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan by police officers attempting an arrest. An arrest team of armed officers was assigned when a police informant warned that Duggan, an alleged drug dealer and gang member whom police believed might have links to two murders, was armed. In fact, a loaded pistol was recovered from Duggan. One published report stated that a bullet possibly fired by Duggan was found lodged in a police radio. An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission revealed today, however, that when Duggan was killed, he likely had never fired on police.
According to a Met Police press release, numerous police officers have suffered serious injuries in the rioting, as well as five police dogs.
"The serious criminal unrest experienced in London over the past three days has left dozens of officers injured, some seriously, "the statement read. "At the present time (17.30hrs), 111 officers have been reported injured. … Many officers are still undergoing hospital treatment, some requiring surgery. Injuries range from fractured bones, serious head injuries, concussion, cuts and sprains, even injured eyes from smashed and thrown glass.
"Officers have been attacked with bricks, bottles, planks of wood and other missiles. In some incidents, officers have been hit by motor vehicles, seriously risking their lives and those of the public," the statement read.
"Five police dogs have been injured as they have undertaken their duties in dealing with the unrest. Linpol Luke, also known as Obi, sustained a serious head injury from a thrown brick and requires further treatment. Marshfield Mia was injured after being hit by a thrown bottle. Both dogs were injured on duty on Sunday. On Monday, Minstrel Blaze, Quirk Ruby and Zach all sustained injuries, including broken teeth and cuts from thrown missiles."
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kavanagh deplored the "scenes of devastation and violence" in London, and asked the public for help. "If you are out tonight please help us -- give us the space we need to work in." He asked parents to keep their children inside so they would not get caught up in "thrill-seeking thuggery," and thanked people who had already intervened to "make their disgust known about the activities of these mindless yobs."
Kavanagh also issued a warning to rioters. "If you have been one of those people who believe you are above the law and have the right to rob, damage and scare people let me make it clear our investigation team is determined to come and track you down"
The chaotic scenes of clashes with police, burning buildings, and shuttered shops and rampaging masked young men take place at a time when the approximately 31,000 officer Met police is effectively leaderless.
By RICHARD ESPOSITO
Aug. 9, 2011
for ABC Nightline (USA)
After three nights and days of rioting and looting London finally is mobilizing a massive police response and a largely mute official London has begun to speak, and reach out in an effort to curb violence.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has publicly stated that 16,000 officers will be deployed tonight, and senior police official say that if more officers are needed there are 19,000 to 20,000 to draw from. According to law enforcement sources, the Metropolitan Police -- popularly known as Scotland Yard -- has called up at least 600 experienced officers from its special operations commands, including its counter-terror unit, to get the maximum number of officers with civil disorder training onto the streets.
When the rioting started, however, following the fatal shooting of an alleged drug dealer Thursday, Britain's ruling class was sitting by the pool. Mayor Johnson was on vacation. Prime Minister David Cameron was on vacation. Home Secretary Theresa May, the senior official in charge of policing, was also "on holiday." Scotland Yard, meanwhile, is currently leaderless following the resignation of senior officials over the cellphone hacking scandal.
PHOTOS of the London riots.
In short, policy experts in Britain tell ABC News, there was no senior political voice or senior police voice to implement an aggressive strategy, much less offer an official response or even give an explanation for the rioting to the public. Scotland Yard did not hold a press briefing until yesterday, on the third day of rioting that started in the North London neighborhood of Tottenham and has now spread to cities far from London.
"The first person who should have come back, Boris Johnson, didn't fly back from Vancouver until yesterday. Prime Minister David Cameron's plane did not touch down until this morning," one analyst told ABC. "Home Secretary Theresa May, the first to return, gave a less than convincing public performance."
Now that official London is back, Boris Johnson and senior police officials have begun engaging the media and the communities most affected. British law enforcement has received permission to investigate BlackBerry Messenger messages and text messages, which have been used by rioters to organize looting.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh, who oversees Territorial Policing at Scotland Yard, said at a press briefing that the force was thinking about the use of plastic bullets but that the Metropolitan Police were "not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away."
"The use of any tactics will be considered carefully," said Kavanagh. "That does not mean we are scared of using any tactic."
As part of an admittedly belated aggressive response police also have dedicated a website to images of the rioting culled from Closes Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV).
"It would have been wise on reflection if, immediately after the shooting, the police had been a little bit more receptive to community concerns and allowed some forum," noted Blair Gibbs, the head of Crime and Justice at the think tank Policy Project. "The police have to do that kind of direct engagement with people and have them vent their anger."
Police commanders told ABC that at this juncture they expect enough officers to flood the city that, barring some unforeseen violence, they will begin to curb the unrest. "We have seriously considered every tactical option available to us," said Kavanagh. "We will consider every option we have to keep you safe."
As they hit the streets more than 450 officers monitoring CCTV have been augmented by additional personnel to begin pouring over footage of the lawlessness in an effort to identify perpetrators of the violence and looting, sources said.
"I think it has now gone beyond any community concern over any police shooting," said Gibbs. "The widespread nature suggests we are simply into copycat violence by unsocialized men … getting away with lawlessness that they would otherwise not embark on. The scale of the rioting now is not reflecting any widespread poverty. It is criminality on a mass scale."
Sources in London tell ABC that a rumored curfew is highly unlikely to occur as it would cut to the core of the British sense of civil liberties, and the use of any army forces would only be as a last resort. Significantly, since the Ulster disturbances during the Irish "Troubles," the army has not trained any significant number of soldiers in managing civil disorder, and most of the troops who had such training were long ago mustered out.
Page 2 of 2
Aug. 9, 2011
Mark Duggan Shooting
The rioting began after the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan by police officers attempting an arrest. An arrest team of armed officers was assigned when a police informant warned that Duggan, an alleged drug dealer and gang member whom police believed might have links to two murders, was armed. In fact, a loaded pistol was recovered from Duggan. One published report stated that a bullet possibly fired by Duggan was found lodged in a police radio. An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission revealed today, however, that when Duggan was killed, he likely had never fired on police.
According to a Met Police press release, numerous police officers have suffered serious injuries in the rioting, as well as five police dogs.
"The serious criminal unrest experienced in London over the past three days has left dozens of officers injured, some seriously, "the statement read. "At the present time (17.30hrs), 111 officers have been reported injured. … Many officers are still undergoing hospital treatment, some requiring surgery. Injuries range from fractured bones, serious head injuries, concussion, cuts and sprains, even injured eyes from smashed and thrown glass.
"Officers have been attacked with bricks, bottles, planks of wood and other missiles. In some incidents, officers have been hit by motor vehicles, seriously risking their lives and those of the public," the statement read.
"Five police dogs have been injured as they have undertaken their duties in dealing with the unrest. Linpol Luke, also known as Obi, sustained a serious head injury from a thrown brick and requires further treatment. Marshfield Mia was injured after being hit by a thrown bottle. Both dogs were injured on duty on Sunday. On Monday, Minstrel Blaze, Quirk Ruby and Zach all sustained injuries, including broken teeth and cuts from thrown missiles."
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kavanagh deplored the "scenes of devastation and violence" in London, and asked the public for help. "If you are out tonight please help us -- give us the space we need to work in." He asked parents to keep their children inside so they would not get caught up in "thrill-seeking thuggery," and thanked people who had already intervened to "make their disgust known about the activities of these mindless yobs."
Kavanagh also issued a warning to rioters. "If you have been one of those people who believe you are above the law and have the right to rob, damage and scare people let me make it clear our investigation team is determined to come and track you down"
The chaotic scenes of clashes with police, burning buildings, and shuttered shops and rampaging masked young men take place at a time when the approximately 31,000 officer Met police is effectively leaderless.
"Where are the guns? A Texan's take on UK Riots"
"Where are the guns? A Texan's take on UK Riots"
By Heather Lacy, NBC News assignment editor
LONDON - We’ve been on five-day roller-coaster here in the NBC News London bureau, what with riots and looting breaking out across the capital and the country.
We’re all wondering if the “criminality pure and simple,” as Prime Minister David Cameron put it, will pop up again, or if the uneasy calm we have now will hold.
Everyone in the newsroom has been discussing the recent violence, the worst this country has seen in three decades. Why would people set fire to stores, cars and homes, looting, wounding, killing and destroying property as they go? Who could do this? How did the police fail to bring order for days?
As everyone in the newsroom debated the use of force – whether to use rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons, Tasers, even bean-bag guns – I wondered why they were wasting their breath.
“If your cops had guns, day number 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this, it would NOT have happened!” I said at a recent meeting.
People stopped talking and looked at me. A couple giggled. Those who know me weren’t too horrified, but others stared at me like I’d just drop-kicked a puppy.
Transplanted Texan
I’m a relatively recent London implant, having moved from Texas a few years back. I’m surrounded mostly by Brits who are usually amused and occasionally appalled at some of my comments.
“In fact, why are we even talking about this?” I asked. “A couple batons aren’t gonna do the trick when the rioters have Molotov cocktails, bricks and knifes, and they outnumber the police.”
When I first moved here I was surprised when I discovered that “bobbies on the beat” (cops on the street) don’t carry guns. Apparently, when the Metropolitan Police Service was founded they thought arming the officers would scare the public. How quaint, I thought.
There is an armed contingent, the Authorised Firearms Officers, which makes up about a third of the Met’s numbers, but they don’t patrol routinely and are only called in when needed. And getting a firearms certificate as a private citizen is very difficult, if not impossible, unless you live in the countryside.
Now, I’m not suggesting police just go out and start capping people carte blanche, but I can assure you those brave and defiant “hooded youths” (as they were described by many a British broadcaster) would not have been so brave or defiant if they had a lethal weapon pointed at them.
Yes, there’s an argument for unarmed police, and yes the British police do have an armed unit, but I’m not going to get into the minutiae. I just want to know, what’s so bad about a show of force in the form of a gun?
I mean, you don’t see anything like this kicking off in Texas, do you?
By Heather Lacy, NBC News assignment editor
LONDON - We’ve been on five-day roller-coaster here in the NBC News London bureau, what with riots and looting breaking out across the capital and the country.
We’re all wondering if the “criminality pure and simple,” as Prime Minister David Cameron put it, will pop up again, or if the uneasy calm we have now will hold.
Everyone in the newsroom has been discussing the recent violence, the worst this country has seen in three decades. Why would people set fire to stores, cars and homes, looting, wounding, killing and destroying property as they go? Who could do this? How did the police fail to bring order for days?
As everyone in the newsroom debated the use of force – whether to use rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannons, Tasers, even bean-bag guns – I wondered why they were wasting their breath.
“If your cops had guns, day number 2, 3, 4 and 5 of this, it would NOT have happened!” I said at a recent meeting.
People stopped talking and looked at me. A couple giggled. Those who know me weren’t too horrified, but others stared at me like I’d just drop-kicked a puppy.
Transplanted Texan
I’m a relatively recent London implant, having moved from Texas a few years back. I’m surrounded mostly by Brits who are usually amused and occasionally appalled at some of my comments.
“In fact, why are we even talking about this?” I asked. “A couple batons aren’t gonna do the trick when the rioters have Molotov cocktails, bricks and knifes, and they outnumber the police.”
When I first moved here I was surprised when I discovered that “bobbies on the beat” (cops on the street) don’t carry guns. Apparently, when the Metropolitan Police Service was founded they thought arming the officers would scare the public. How quaint, I thought.
There is an armed contingent, the Authorised Firearms Officers, which makes up about a third of the Met’s numbers, but they don’t patrol routinely and are only called in when needed. And getting a firearms certificate as a private citizen is very difficult, if not impossible, unless you live in the countryside.
Now, I’m not suggesting police just go out and start capping people carte blanche, but I can assure you those brave and defiant “hooded youths” (as they were described by many a British broadcaster) would not have been so brave or defiant if they had a lethal weapon pointed at them.
Yes, there’s an argument for unarmed police, and yes the British police do have an armed unit, but I’m not going to get into the minutiae. I just want to know, what’s so bad about a show of force in the form of a gun?
I mean, you don’t see anything like this kicking off in Texas, do you?
"Why did the riots happen? Who are the rioters? What can we do to end this madness?"
Why did the riots happen? Who are the rioters? What can we do to end this madness?
by Tony Parsons, Daily Mirror 13/08/2011
THE Britain that we knew, the Britain we loved, died on our streets this week. It went in an orgy of mindless wanton murderous violence.
The apocalyptic images of fear are etched in our minds. Decent hard-working people burned out of their homes and businesses, the woman jumping for her life from a blazing building and the have-a-go hero beaten to death in the street.
There are tens of thousands of riot police patrolling our cities, vast numbers of young people locked up and 24-hour courts to mete out justice to them.
ven now it is hard to make sense of such a cataclysmic week. Trying to understand the feelings of the rioters is like trying to understand the feelings of a man who has his boot pressed against your throat.
They don’t have hope? They don’t have a future? They don’t have plasma TVs? Who cares?
Frankly, my dear, many of us do not have the stomach for sympathy right now.
We just want to see the rioters banged up and stewing in their own filth.
Too many innocent people have suffered because of these riots. Too many have felt terror. Too many have had their world ripped apart.
Too many have been burned from their homes. Too many have seen their children weep in terror. And too many have seen their loved ones die.
When the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on the East End, my grandmother did not ponder the underlying causes of Fascism.
And yet if we are to hang onto some last hope that this is still a civilised society, then the questions have to be asked. Why did the riots happen? Who are the rioters? And what must be done to prevent them making our lives a misery? As the assorted goons get dragged off to court, much is being made of the almost infinite variety of scumbags.
Grown men and children. Male and female. White and black. The sons of single parents and allegedly the daughter of a millionaire, plus a primary school teacher.
An organic chef and university student are also alleged to have been involved.
But as a Londoner, let me make a wild guess – the overwhelming majority of the rioters will turn out to be of a very specific type, and it was this lost generation that made the riots possible.
As all law and order broke down on the streets of the capital, when the buildings burned and the children screamed and 999 calls meant nothing, there were opportunists who joined the riots to grab whatever they could. Common thieves will always be with us.
But most of the rioters were not organic chefs. They were of the generation that is good for nothing and yet scared of nothing.
Without the gang culture of black London, none of the riots would have happened – including the riots in other cities like Manchester and Birmingham where most of rioters were white.
The snarling, amoral pack mentality of gangs that are too often a substitute for family, school and work made the riots possible. These youths were the shock troops of the riots, and its inspiration – even in the white riots of Piccadilly, Manchester.
This is desperately sad for all of us – but especially all the decent, hard working black men and women in this country. They have worked hard for all they have. They are a positive force in this country. They do not deserve to see the clock turned back to the Seventies and Eighties, when racism was overt and vicious. But that is what will happen. The images of black youths running wild will not be quickly forgotten.
We hear a lot about feral children. But when Tottenham erupted it was pointed out that there were many men in the area who are in their late twenties, and who have never worked.
It has always been hard for this community. Too many schools where it is not cool to study. Too many homes where there is no father figure to put the fear of God in you. Too many streets where they have been sapped by a welfare system that was meant to protect the vulnerable not bankroll an unemployable generation.
Too many looks from white faces who fear and hate you because you are black.
Yes, and too many dreams built around hard-core porn that is now as difficult to get as electricity or running water. Too many songs where women are “bitches” and men make their point of view with extreme violence.
Too many Grand Theft Auto fantasies that make the powerless dream of being powerful. It is an unholy mess, and it is a national tragedy, and I see no end to it.
There are too many out there who have no respect. Too many who are uneducated, illiterate and stupid. Too many who do not know the difference between right and wrong. Too many who think the rules do not apply to them.
The story going round is the riot in Tottenham started when, after the death of Mark Duggan, a girl threw a stone at the police and was then pushed by a cop. But what do you think is going to happen if you throw rocks at the police?
The key, I believe with all my heart, is social mobility. Children of every background need to believe that hard work will be rewarded. That if you study at school it will result in higher education and a job. That – no matter where you come from – it is possible to get up and out if you want it bad enough, and if you work hard enough.
But social mobility is dead in this country now. Too many have no hope of self-improvement. There is an Old Etonian in 10 Downing Street who despises the idea of grammar schools. Because they are unfair. Just like life, you mean?
I spent the first five years of my life living in a flat above a greengrocer’s shop. Yet I never doubted I could be anything I wanted to be.
Why did the riots happen? Because we live with a lot of scum in our midst.
Mark Twain said, it is cheaper to build schools than jails.
But we did not build the schools, and we let the schools we do have rot. Now we must build the jails.
by Tony Parsons, Daily Mirror 13/08/2011
THE Britain that we knew, the Britain we loved, died on our streets this week. It went in an orgy of mindless wanton murderous violence.
The apocalyptic images of fear are etched in our minds. Decent hard-working people burned out of their homes and businesses, the woman jumping for her life from a blazing building and the have-a-go hero beaten to death in the street.
There are tens of thousands of riot police patrolling our cities, vast numbers of young people locked up and 24-hour courts to mete out justice to them.
ven now it is hard to make sense of such a cataclysmic week. Trying to understand the feelings of the rioters is like trying to understand the feelings of a man who has his boot pressed against your throat.
They don’t have hope? They don’t have a future? They don’t have plasma TVs? Who cares?
Frankly, my dear, many of us do not have the stomach for sympathy right now.
We just want to see the rioters banged up and stewing in their own filth.
Too many innocent people have suffered because of these riots. Too many have felt terror. Too many have had their world ripped apart.
Too many have been burned from their homes. Too many have seen their children weep in terror. And too many have seen their loved ones die.
When the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on the East End, my grandmother did not ponder the underlying causes of Fascism.
And yet if we are to hang onto some last hope that this is still a civilised society, then the questions have to be asked. Why did the riots happen? Who are the rioters? And what must be done to prevent them making our lives a misery? As the assorted goons get dragged off to court, much is being made of the almost infinite variety of scumbags.
Grown men and children. Male and female. White and black. The sons of single parents and allegedly the daughter of a millionaire, plus a primary school teacher.
An organic chef and university student are also alleged to have been involved.
But as a Londoner, let me make a wild guess – the overwhelming majority of the rioters will turn out to be of a very specific type, and it was this lost generation that made the riots possible.
As all law and order broke down on the streets of the capital, when the buildings burned and the children screamed and 999 calls meant nothing, there were opportunists who joined the riots to grab whatever they could. Common thieves will always be with us.
But most of the rioters were not organic chefs. They were of the generation that is good for nothing and yet scared of nothing.
Without the gang culture of black London, none of the riots would have happened – including the riots in other cities like Manchester and Birmingham where most of rioters were white.
The snarling, amoral pack mentality of gangs that are too often a substitute for family, school and work made the riots possible. These youths were the shock troops of the riots, and its inspiration – even in the white riots of Piccadilly, Manchester.
This is desperately sad for all of us – but especially all the decent, hard working black men and women in this country. They have worked hard for all they have. They are a positive force in this country. They do not deserve to see the clock turned back to the Seventies and Eighties, when racism was overt and vicious. But that is what will happen. The images of black youths running wild will not be quickly forgotten.
We hear a lot about feral children. But when Tottenham erupted it was pointed out that there were many men in the area who are in their late twenties, and who have never worked.
It has always been hard for this community. Too many schools where it is not cool to study. Too many homes where there is no father figure to put the fear of God in you. Too many streets where they have been sapped by a welfare system that was meant to protect the vulnerable not bankroll an unemployable generation.
Too many looks from white faces who fear and hate you because you are black.
Yes, and too many dreams built around hard-core porn that is now as difficult to get as electricity or running water. Too many songs where women are “bitches” and men make their point of view with extreme violence.
Too many Grand Theft Auto fantasies that make the powerless dream of being powerful. It is an unholy mess, and it is a national tragedy, and I see no end to it.
There are too many out there who have no respect. Too many who are uneducated, illiterate and stupid. Too many who do not know the difference between right and wrong. Too many who think the rules do not apply to them.
The story going round is the riot in Tottenham started when, after the death of Mark Duggan, a girl threw a stone at the police and was then pushed by a cop. But what do you think is going to happen if you throw rocks at the police?
The key, I believe with all my heart, is social mobility. Children of every background need to believe that hard work will be rewarded. That if you study at school it will result in higher education and a job. That – no matter where you come from – it is possible to get up and out if you want it bad enough, and if you work hard enough.
But social mobility is dead in this country now. Too many have no hope of self-improvement. There is an Old Etonian in 10 Downing Street who despises the idea of grammar schools. Because they are unfair. Just like life, you mean?
I spent the first five years of my life living in a flat above a greengrocer’s shop. Yet I never doubted I could be anything I wanted to be.
Why did the riots happen? Because we live with a lot of scum in our midst.
Mark Twain said, it is cheaper to build schools than jails.
But we did not build the schools, and we let the schools we do have rot. Now we must build the jails.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Credit to top cops says PM Cameron
The Sun:
Credit to top cops, says PM
DAVID Cameron yesterday backed down in a row with senior cops over who ordered tougher tactics that ended the riots.
The PM admitted it was police chiefs who decided to flood the streets with greater manpower.
On a visit to riot-hit Manchester, he said: "It's right that police took those decisions, changed tactics, and increased the number of officers." And he insisted that he never questioned riot cops' bravery.
Acting Met chief Tim Godwin had said political leaders "weren't there" when he changed tactics on Monday.
And Police Federation vice chairman Simon Reed dubbed any ministers' attempt to grab credit "a cheap shot" that "slighted police officers".
The PM has also asked top US cop Bill Bratton - who crushed LA's gangs - to work as a consultant for the British force.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband said his party's failure to tackle Britain's moral decay when in power contributed to the riots.
He said: "We did better at rebuilding the fabric of the country than the ethics."
Suspect's family are kicked out
A RIOT suspect and his family are being turfed out of their council home in the first case of its kind.
The mother of Daniel Sartain-Clarke, 18, was served an eviction notice by Wandsworth council, South London, yesterday.
The teenager, from Battersea, was remanded in custody charged with violent disorder and trying to loot electrical goods from a Currys in Clapham Junction.
Local authorities have powers to evict tenants if one member of the household is involved in crime.
Council bosses said they want the "strongest possible action" taken against rioters and looters.
Other councils across England are thought to be planning similar legal action.
Sartain-Clarke's mother, who also has a daughter, eight, said the eviction breached her human rights.
THE SAS is on extra alert amid fears extremists will use the riots as cover to launch a terror spectacular
Credit to top cops, says PM
DAVID Cameron yesterday backed down in a row with senior cops over who ordered tougher tactics that ended the riots.
The PM admitted it was police chiefs who decided to flood the streets with greater manpower.
On a visit to riot-hit Manchester, he said: "It's right that police took those decisions, changed tactics, and increased the number of officers." And he insisted that he never questioned riot cops' bravery.
Acting Met chief Tim Godwin had said political leaders "weren't there" when he changed tactics on Monday.
And Police Federation vice chairman Simon Reed dubbed any ministers' attempt to grab credit "a cheap shot" that "slighted police officers".
The PM has also asked top US cop Bill Bratton - who crushed LA's gangs - to work as a consultant for the British force.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband said his party's failure to tackle Britain's moral decay when in power contributed to the riots.
He said: "We did better at rebuilding the fabric of the country than the ethics."
Suspect's family are kicked out
A RIOT suspect and his family are being turfed out of their council home in the first case of its kind.
The mother of Daniel Sartain-Clarke, 18, was served an eviction notice by Wandsworth council, South London, yesterday.
The teenager, from Battersea, was remanded in custody charged with violent disorder and trying to loot electrical goods from a Currys in Clapham Junction.
Local authorities have powers to evict tenants if one member of the household is involved in crime.
Council bosses said they want the "strongest possible action" taken against rioters and looters.
Other councils across England are thought to be planning similar legal action.
Sartain-Clarke's mother, who also has a daughter, eight, said the eviction breached her human rights.
THE SAS is on extra alert amid fears extremists will use the riots as cover to launch a terror spectacular
August 13, England riots: Saturday night show of force
Show of force to deter Saturday night troubleBy Richard Hall
U.K. Independent
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Police forces around England will have an increased presence on the streets tonight to counter fears of more drink-fuelled trouble.
Forces in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham – the cities worst hit by riots – will stage shows of force to deter gangs from coming out on to the streets. Speaking during a visit to Enfield, north London, which was hit by rioters on Monday night, Home Secretary, Theresa May, said: "We will be sustaining the numbers for a period of time. We have had some quieter nights, but we are not complacent about that."
Ms May said officers would be brought in from areas not affected by the riots to help maintain levels if necessary. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police could not give exact numbers, but said: "We are operationally ready to deal with any disturbances."
Greater Manchester Police had "no intelligence" on any disturbances, but would maintain the numbers that have been out in the past few nights.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said they would have about 6,200 police out on the streets this weekend. "If suddenly we have indication that something is happening then we can increase [the numbers]," the spokeswoman said.
On a walkabout in Croydon yesterday, London Mayor, Boris Johnson, said "the right level of policing" was now in place in the capital.
U.K. Independent
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Police forces around England will have an increased presence on the streets tonight to counter fears of more drink-fuelled trouble.
Forces in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham – the cities worst hit by riots – will stage shows of force to deter gangs from coming out on to the streets. Speaking during a visit to Enfield, north London, which was hit by rioters on Monday night, Home Secretary, Theresa May, said: "We will be sustaining the numbers for a period of time. We have had some quieter nights, but we are not complacent about that."
Ms May said officers would be brought in from areas not affected by the riots to help maintain levels if necessary. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police could not give exact numbers, but said: "We are operationally ready to deal with any disturbances."
Greater Manchester Police had "no intelligence" on any disturbances, but would maintain the numbers that have been out in the past few nights.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said they would have about 6,200 police out on the streets this weekend. "If suddenly we have indication that something is happening then we can increase [the numbers]," the spokeswoman said.
On a walkabout in Croydon yesterday, London Mayor, Boris Johnson, said "the right level of policing" was now in place in the capital.
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