Starmer pledges to keep communities safe as police prepare for further violence

The Prime Minister has promised communities they will be kept safe as the country braces for an eighth night of violence.

Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee on Tuesday evening, the second in two days, to co-ordinate the response to ongoing unrest on Britain’s streets.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, it’s in place.”

“Obviously it’s a difficult situation with disorder going on in a number of different places at the same time, but that is precisely why I held my second Cobra meeting today to co-ordinate the response and to get the assurance that I want and need that we do have adequate police in place, that we are able to cope with this disorder.”

Officers were preparing for further violence on Tuesday night, with police braced for a potentially busy day on Wednesday as they monitor reports of at least 30 possible gatherings.

Tuesday night saw police issue dispersal orders for parts of Liverpool and Durham, but no major disturbances.

Police in Durham said 37 people – aged between 13 and 38 – had been ordered to leave the city centre following intelligence of “planned disorder” and a 15-year-old had been arrested in connection with a public order offence, but there had been no disorder or criminal damage.

In Liverpool, police introduced a dispersal zone to the south and west of the city centre “to prevent potential disorder”.

Sources said forces were watching events closely as they establish what intelligence was credible and stand ready to respond.

(PA Graphics)A list of solicitors’ firms and advice agencies has been shared in chat groups as possible targets for gatherings, with the message inviting people to “mask up” if they attend.

Tell Mama, a group monitoring Islamophobia in the UK, said it had alerted police and counter-terrorism to the “far-right threats”.

The Law Society of England and Wales described such gatherings as a “direct assault on our legal profession” and therefore a “direct assault on our democratic values” and urged the Government to treat such “threats against the legal profession” with the “utmost seriousness”.

The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) said where security is threatened “as a result of carrying out our essential and proper function in a democracy, the Government and law enforcement agencies should investigate and monitor threats to our safety”.

One of the locations listed told PA they had been offered extra police support which they said they would accept.

Another centre, Asylum Link Merseyside, said it had closed its offices temporarily following “threats of far-right violence” made against it.

Stand Up To Racism has advertised counter-demonstrations “to defend immigration lawyers, refugee charities and asylum support centres around Britain”.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said threats against solicitors were “unacceptable” and those making them would “join the hundreds of others who have already been arrested by police within the last week”.

The Government has pledged additional resources for police forces to help deal with the unrest, with the Home Secretary saying funding will not be a barrier to a strong police response.

Yvette Cooper said: “The police have my unwavering commitment to ensure they have everything they need to mobilise a strong frontline response across the country to put a stop to the appalling displays of violence and criminal damage we have seen in some of our towns and cities.

Approximately 6,000 specialist officers will be at the ready by the end of the week for the so-called “standing army” of police announced by Sir Keir on Monday to deal with disorder.These officers have been taken away from their regular duties to deal with the ongoing disorder.

In addition to more riot police being put on standby ready to be deployed to incidents in their regions, forces are also stepping up neighbourhood policing patrols while teams of detectives investigate, drawing on CCTV, body-worn footage and making use of retrospective facial recognition to identify perpetrators of violence, while intelligence teams monitor well-known influencers and organisers for activity.

Ms Cooper added: “Criminals should expect to pay the price for violent thuggery and disorder on our streets. Keyboard warriors also cannot hide, as criminal organisation and incitement online will be liable for prosecution and strong penalties too. “

More than 400 people have now been arrested in the wake of disorder around the country, according to police sources, with the number expected to continue to rise in the coming days.

Around 100 people have been charged, with some already pleading guilty in court appearances on Tuesday.

They included 28-year-old Jordan Parlour, from Leeds, who indicated a plea of guilty to a charge of using threatening words or behaviour intending to stir up racial hatred.

The charge relates to a series of Facebook posts made by Parlour in connection with the disorder, and he has been remanded in custody until a sentencing hearing on Friday.

On Tuesday evening, Sir Keir praised the criminal justice system’s “robust and swift response”, saying he expected substantive sentencing of some of those involved in the rioting to take place by the end of the week.

He said: “That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week.

“Nobody, but nobody, should be involved themselves in this disorder.”

But he faced criticism from some on the right, as well as from Elon Musk, the US-based owner of social media platform X, that police had handled the disorder more harshly than if it had been carried out by members of ethnic minorities.

The Government has rejected the claims, while Sir Keir told reporters his focus was on “ensuring that our communities are safe”.

Published: 06/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub