Police steeled for further violence as more than 140 charged over riots

The number of people charged in connection with recent unrest has continued to rise, as parts of the UK are steeled for as many as 100 events connected with the disorder on Wednesday.

Another 20 people were charged overnight, the Crown Prosecution Service said, bringing the total to more than 140, as police chiefs continued to warn rioters they could “expect a knock at the door”.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said they expected that number to rise “significantly” in the coming days, as officers looked to make further arrests.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington, the NPCC lead for public order, said that police and the CPS would be seeking to minimise the number of suspects released on bail, as a deterrent to further rioting, and that even defendants with no previous convictions had already been remanded in custody after a first appearance in court.

Police are understood to be preparing to respond to more than 100 planned protests and potentially around 30 more counter protests on Wednesday, with gatherings anticipated in 41 of the 43 police force areas in England and Wales.

A police source said: “Today is probably going to be the busiest day of the week, into the evening.

“Tonight, we think it’s looking like a credible picture. We are preparing for activity across 41 forces.”

Resources are being shared around the country as forces respond to intelligence, with the Metropolitan Police understood to be sending some officers to Manchester while others in the south east are also travelling to support colleagues in north east and north west forces.

At least one man has also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon after taking part in a “counter-protest” in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, those arrested continued to appear in court on Wednesday, some reduced to tears as they heard they would be kept in prison before their next hearings.

Liam Ryan, 28, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, cried as he pleaded guilty to violent disorder after disturbances in Manchester city centre on Saturday.

Prosecutors said Ryan had played an “active role” in the disorder, in which a black man was attacked by a “large group of far-right protesters” in Piccadilly Gardens. He is expected to be sentenced next week.

Others have already received prison sentences for their parts in the rioting.

Derek Drummond, 58, from Southport, Merseyside, was jailed for three years on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to charges of violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker during the unrest in Southport on July 30.

He is the first person to receive a substantial prison sentence for taking part in the violence that has rocked parts of the UK over the past week.

Two other men, Declan Geiran, 29, and Liam Riley, 40, received sentences of 30 months and 20 months respectively for their roles in disturbances in Liverpool on Saturday.

Despite the absence of major disturbances on Tuesday, police said thousands of officers remained on standby across the country to deal with potential disorder on Wednesday.

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said threats against immigration lawyers were “at the centre of our planning tonight”, adding: “We will not let the immigration asylum system be intimidated”.

A list of solicitors’ firms and advice agencies has been shared in chat groups as possible targets for disturbances on Wednesday, and the message invited people to “mask up” if they attend.

Staff at some of those businesses told the PA news agency they have been advised to work from home on Wednesday, and that police and fire officers had visited their premises to check security arrangements, including CCTV cameras and smoke alarms.

An office manager at an immigration advisory service said he feels “very, very scared and very upset” at the threats his workplace has received, and that surrounding businesses feel the same.

Companies also said they have removed their addresses from their websites as a precaution.

Sir Mark told broadcasters the police had “decided to marshal thousands of police officers across the country” in readiness for potential violence.

He said: “We’ve changed our tactics in the last couple of days, and so besides marshalling more officers, we’re brigading some of them at key strategic locations across the country to give us more agility to respond to wherever the protests are most intense, so that we can respond with agility and show overwhelming force, so that the criminals and thugs on the streets don’t succeed.”

The Met Commissioner also rejected claims that recent disturbances had been dealt with more harshly than if they had been committed by people from ethnic minorities.

He said claims of “two-tier policing”, amplified by Elon Musk, the US-based owner of social media platform X, were “complete nonsense” and put police officers at risk.

Published: 07/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub