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Friday 19 August 2011

convicted rioters are being handed prison sentences which are 40% longer than if they had committed the same offence last year, statistics show.

Reportage - 06:42

In the first comprehensive collation of sentencing since last week’s upheaval, the figures show the hard-line stance being enforced by the courts.
The majority of the charges have been for theft or handling stolen goods with an average sentence of 5.1 months.
This compares to the average prison term handed down for the same crimes in 2010 of 4.1 months, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
Sentences for those convicted of public order offences were a third longer than normal.
However, rioters guilty of attacking police officers got a 40% increase in the usual term.

 

Thursday 11 August 2011

Vigilantes defied police orders last night and vented their anger against officers as they attempted to mobilise their own forces to deal with rioters

Reportage - 00:51

Riot police were hit with “missiles” including bottles as more than 1,000 officers battled with dozens of middle-aged men on the streets Eltham, south-east London.
Witnesses reported that many of the 200 men were chanting in support of the English Defence League, the controversial Right-wing group.
The group had promised to defy police orders and mobilise their own forces to protect their families and businesses from mobs of looters.
Last night hundreds of police from eight separate forces tried to restore calm from the mainly white, middle aged men.
Earlier they had claimed they were “protecting” local shops and businesses for a second consecutive night.

With shops and pubs in the high street shut, the group, men aged in their 20s to 50s, brought carrier bags containing beer and drank and sat on benches.
Riot police eventually restored order after charging at the crowd. At least one person was arrested.
Around 60 EDL supporters had gathered in the square in the town drinking cans of beer and chanting "We love you England".
“Officers had missiles thrown at them this evening,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
“Police have dealt with the disorder and the group has been dispersed. Police remain on the scene.” She declined to say whom the group were or how many police were in the area.
Local police denied the group were comprised of EDL members.
But furious locals vented their anger at what they described as “outsider vigilantes” arriving in the area and sparking fights, particularly with police.
Over the past few nights, residents in London have taken to the streets with baseball bats, swords and hockey sticks to defend their property after the police lost control.
There have been concerns that far-Right organisations had tried to take advantage of the social tensions by hijacking the “vigilante” armies.
The EDL claimed that about 100 of its members were helping to protect the streets of Enfield on Tuesday night.
The league was also encouraging people to join a group of men in Eltham planning to guard their high street.
As many as 1,500 Sikhs, some in their eighties, had patrolled west London neighbourhoods around temples in Southall and Hounslow on Tuesday night, chasing rioters away.
In Dalston, east London, Turkish shopkeepers armed with bats and pool cues saw off a gang of masked men.
In Hackney, east London, Kingsland High Street was lined with Turkish and Kurdish men on Tuesday night, some carrying sticks.
In Enfield, north London, an estimated 300 locals turned out to protect property on Tuesday after two nights of rioting.
Police said anybody taking the law into their own hands, however well intentioned, would divert police resources away from the looters and arsonists.
Steve Kavanagh, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: “What I don’t need is these so-called vigilantes, who appeared to have been drinking too much.”
“These are small pockets of people. They’re frustrated, they’re angry, and that’s totally understandable.
“But the support that we need is to allow those officers to prevent looting and crime.” He said it was “ironic” that media pictures showed looting in areas where there were “no police available” while officers were being diverted to stop vigilantes elsewhere.
“That needs to stop,” he said.
Under the 2008 Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, home owners who use “reasonable force” to protect themselves should not face prosecution.
However, they must not use more force than necessary.
Experts say this can come down to a subtle difference, with anyone who chases an attacker likely to be at risk of committing an offence.

 

Essex boy, 11, admits to Debenhams burglary

Reportage - 00:48

An 11-year-old boy was among scores of rioters and looters to appear before magistrates yesterday. The boy, from Romford, Essex, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Highbury Corner Youth Court where he admitted being part of a gang who looted the town's Debenhams store on Monday night.
His appearance came as court staff ploughed through a huge influx of cases from the riots in London. Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, in north London, sat throughout Tuesday night to deal with cases, and was expected to do so again last night.


Defendants ranged in age and came from different parts of London, but the boy stood out as the youngest defendant to appear yesterday. Wearing a blue Adidas tracksuit, the youngster spoke only to confirm his name, age and date of birth.

He pleaded guilty to burglary, after stealing a waste bin worth £50 from Debenhams. A charge of violent disorder was dropped.

During the brief hearing the court heard the boy had already been given a referral order after being convicted of a separate offence just last week. No details of the conviction were given.

Defending the 11-year-old, Vicky Thompson asked for a pre-sentence report to be carried out before the boy is sentenced. His case was adjourned until 31 August at Havering Youth Court.

Miss Thompson said his mother had requested that a condition of his bail should be that he is not allowed to leave his home unaccompanied. "She wants to keep him safe and not allow him to get caught up in this," she said. District Judge James Henderson granted bail, with what he said were "very restricted conditions" including a 6pm to 6am curfew.

Among those committed to crown court for sentence were primary school worker Alexis Bailey, 31, from Wye Street in Battersea, south London, who was arrested in Richer Sounds in Southend Road, Croydon, and yesterday pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal.

 

Mugger attacker 'identified' DAVID Cameron has given the green light for police to use water cannon on mainland Britain

Reportage - 00:03

Asyraf Haziq, mugged by passers-by as he lay collapsed and bleeding on an east London street, is recovering from surgery in hospital - police think they've identified one of his attackers.DAVID Cameron has given the green light for police to use water cannon on mainland Britain for the first time as part of a "fightback" against rioters.

The Prime Minister insisted police will get whatever resources they need to bring the rioting across England under control, and that every contingency was being looked at.

After a meeting of the emergency committee Cobra, he said: "Police are already authorised to use baton rounds, and we agreed at Cobra that, while they are not currently needed, we now have in place contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice."

If water cannon are used they will have to be deployed from Northern Ireland. It would be the first time they have been used on mainland Britain.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Theresa May ordered every police force in England to cancel all leave to deal with the rioting crisis.

The Prime Minister insisted the government would restore order. "We needed a fightback, and a fightback is under way," he said.

"Whatever resources the police need, they will get. Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ, they will have legal backing to do so.

"We will do whatever is necessary to restore law and order on our streets. Every contingency is being looked at. Nothing is off the table."

In Scotland, police are still allowed to take their annual leave and no similar contingency plans for use of water cannon is in place.

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said: "There's no intention at the moment because of the deployment of Scottish officers down south to interfere with the shift rotas or anything else." The Prime Minister also revealed in his hardline response to the looters that:

• The police would have permission to use rubber bullets.

• Courts will carry on sitting overnight to deal with riots cases. More than 160 people have already been charged.

• Photographs of rioters will continue to be published so they can be identified and brought to justice.

• The culprits should expect prison sentences.

"It is for the courts to sentence, but I would expect anyone convicted of violent disorder to be sent to prison," Mr Cameron said.

Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said he did not think that water cannon would prove necessary because they are used to dealing with fixed crowds, not fast-moving groups.

"If the situation develops where we would need to use water cannon, I would have no hesitation in seeking support from the chief constable of Northern Ireland to deploy them. I don't see it as necessary, and nor do the 43 chiefs I spoke to this morning."

Jimmy Spratt, a former head of Northern Ireland's police federation, added that water cannon would be of no use in tackling the disturbances.

The Democratic Unionist said police in Belfast used water cannon to tackle mobs gathered in open locations and in large numbers.

But he argued that trying to use water cannon around commercial centres in London, Manchester or other cities was not feasible.

He said: "It is not workable at all. There are several points, including the size of these vehicles.

"The big issue would be manoeuvrability.

"They are suited to operating in a wide space, where police are faced with a crowd of rioters."

South Asians take a hit in UK riots, 3 Pakistanis killed

Reportage - 00:00

The riots in England claimed South Asian victims on Wednesday when three young men of Pakistani origin were killed in a "deliberate" hit-and-run incident in the country's second biggest city of Birmingham. While retailers of Indian origin were attacked in Birmingham, in the west London suburb of Southall, home to a large number of Sikh migrants, scores of men armed with swords and hockey sticks guarded their gurdwaras through the night. One of them said: "We'll take the law into our hands, bad luck."

Although an uneasy calm returned to London, looting and arson continued in other English cities. A number of Indians suffered when their shops and properties were damaged by violent young men roaming the streets.

An angry crowd of Pakistani residents gathered outside a Birmingham hospital where the victims were taken in a bid to save their lives. Suspecting that the three men were intentionally run over and killed, the police ordered a homicide probe into the deaths. A 35-year-old man was arrested and a vehicle seized.

It is believed that the three men were protecting a mosque from hooligans who went on a looting spree in the central parts of the city.

A police spokesman said: "West Midlands police have launched a murder inquiry and arrested a man. They have recovered a vehicle which will be examined by forensics experts."

Two of the victims were identified as Shahzad and Harry Hussain. They breathed their last at the hospital soon after being admitted at 1.15 am. A third man, who was also in critical condition, was pronounced dead five hours later. According to the Birmingham Mail newspaper, the deceased had confronted the troublemakers.

Indian retailers were targeted in Birmingham. Dhillon Catering, an enterprise owned by a Sikh family, was broken into by rioters. Its delivery van was set on fire. A family of Indian origin was rendered homeless after their house was gutted by arsonists at Croydon in south London. A woman and her son lost everything except their mobile phones. In Leicester, which has a high concentration of people of Indian descent, shops and restaurants were attacked, windows smashed. Two businesses run by Indians were looted.

Among those keeping vigil at Southall gurdwaras were elderly Sikhs - some in their 80s. Reports suggested that every gurdwara in Southall was protected by around 200 men. A large number of Sikhs came out on the streets with sticks and metal bars in West Bromwich to save their place of worship from rioters. Devotees at one of the largest Sikh temples in London's Havelock Road telephoned young people for help.

Across the country, the police arrested around 1,200 people, including 800 in London, since the violence broke out on Saturday. London courts worked through the night to process all those charged.

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that Britain will not let a "culture of fear" take over its streets. In a televised statement, he said: "We will do whatever is necessary to restore law and order." He said that the police have drawn up contingency plans to use water cannon, commonly used in Northern Ireland but never deployed in mainland Britain.

On Tuesday, thousands of extra police officers kept a nervous London quiet after three nights of riots but looting flared in Manchester and Birmingham. In Nottingham, arsonists lobbed firebombs through the window of a police station. They set fire to a school and a vehicle. In Liverpool, about 200 young men hurled missiles at policemen and firefighters.

Among the arrests for misuse of social networking sites were two 18-year-olds in Kent, adjoining London, a 19-year-old woman in Wakefield, in the northern county of Yorkshire, and a 16-year-old boy in Glasgow in Scotland. Cameron promised more arrests as police scanned CCTV evidence. "Picture by picture, the criminals are being identified and arrested," he said.

 

Wednesday 10 August 2011

What they gonna do? Give me an Asbo

Reportage - 23:57

Police across the country are tonight bracing themselves for a fifth night of violence in England's cities after rioters brazenly proclaimed: 'I'll keep doing this until I get caught'.

Youths rampaging through Manchester's city centre, turning it into a war zone, boasted that the government had lost control of the cities and pledged to continue as long as they could.

And even if they do get caught, they are not afraid of the consequences, with one telling BBC Radio 4's today programme: 'What are they gonna do? Give me an Asbo? I'll live with that.'


Lockdown: Riot police frisk people on a street in Croydon, south London. London will be on lockdown with 16,000 officers drafted in to maintain control, despite yobs pledging to continue violence in other cities

Last night, while London remained relatively calm thanks to a mammoth police presence, looting and thuggery continued in Birmingham and Liverpool, and broke out for the first time in Manchester, Nottingham and Gloucester.

Regional forces, seemingly caught on the back foot after donating hundreds of riot officers to help the Met regain control of the capital, struggled to contain hundreds of yobs who took to the high streets to loot and pillage.

 


'It's going to be comparable to yesterday, so you are looking at 16,000 police on the streets,' a spokesman for the Met told MailOnline.

He said that while there have been no reports of trouble in the capital so far there will remain a 'higher more visible police presence on the streets'.

'The policing will be widespread across the capital,' he added, 'and as we have done on previous nights we will be concentrating on areas where we have the most concerns.'

In Manchester, where rioters last night rampaged through the central shopping district, burning and looting shops and fighting running battles with police, police said they were making no special preparations.

Greater Manchester Police said that they were not expecting a second night of violence in the city, but did concede that there would be more police on standby than were available to commanders last night.

 

Malaysian student who was filmed being mugged after rioters attacked him in London is recovering in hospital.

Reportage - 17:27


The attack in Barking on Mohd Asyraf Haziq, 20, on Monday night, made headlines after it was put on YouTube.

Dzuhair Hanafiah, chairman of the London UMNO Club, an organisation which takes care of Malaysian people in the capital, said Mr Haziq was "in good spirits".

He said he was due to have surgery on his jaw at the Royal London Hospital.

Mr Hanafiah, who visited the accountancy student in hospital on Tuesday night, said Mr Haziq had been on his bicycle on his way to a friend's house when he was attacked by a group of youths.

Bleeding
"They wanted his bicycle - one of them took it away. Asyraf said he was no more than 12 years old. Another person took his mobile phone. Then someone punched or knocked him with an object, he can't remember what, but when he regained consciousness he was bleeding," he told the BBC.

Mr Hanafiah said the friend who was with Mr Haziq, who was also on a bicycle, managed to escape.



He was shocked that he had been beaten up, and that he couldn't defend himself”

Dzuhair Hanafiah
London UMNO Club
The YouTube clip - which has been viewed more than a million times - shows a group of young men appearing to try to assist Mr Haziq, helping him to his feet, only for them to rummage through the contents of his rucksack and remove items, leaving him to stagger off in a daze.

"According to Asyraf, a different group then came and stole his Sony PSP, a game console, but they didn't manage to find his wallet. He thinks they may have been part of the same gang, but there were about 20 people," said Mr Hanafiah.

He said Mr Haziq was "really shaken at that point" but was rescued by a local woman who took him back to her house, and then managed to contact a friend of his through Facebook, who came and picked him up.

Mr Hanafiah said as the swelling got worse, the friend realised Mr Haziq - who had won a scholarship to study in the UK and had arrived in London only last month - needed more treatment and he went to hospital.

Speaking about the attack, Mr Hanafiah said Mr Haziq was "shocked that he had been beaten up, and that he couldn't defend himself", but he believed he was all right.

"He wants justice to be upheld, he knows a police report will be lodged and he hopes the police will take action. None of his property has been found.

'Rescue missions'
"But he looked pretty cheerful. He's due to have surgery today for a broken jaw, he's got some broken teeth, but he seems in good spirits," he said.


Mr Hanafiah said Mr Haziq told him the attack would not deter him from studying accountancy at Kaplan Financial in London Bridge, and he wanted to continue to live in Barking.

But he said some other Malaysian students in London had been in contact over the past few days with concerns, and there had been a few "rescue missions".

"At 4am we had a call from a lady in Peckham who didn't feel safe, so we went and picked her up, and she is now staying in a student hostel in Bayswater.

"We've also moved five of Asyraf's friends from Barking to the hostel," he said.

Asked whether Mr Haziq had seen the clip on YouTube, Mr Hanafiah said he had.

"He knows about it, he was laughing when he saw it, but he doesn't know the extent of the YouTube effect on him yet," he said.

Mr Hanafiah said there were about 12,500 Malaysian students in the UK; about 4,000 of them are government-sponsored students.

A spokesman for the Malaysian high commission said it had offered consular assistance to Mr Haziq and that the deputy high commissioner, Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, had visited him in hospital.

A father described on Wednesday how he rushed to aid a dying man hit by a car during riots in the city of Birmingham only to find it was his 21-year-old son.

Reportage - 17:26



"I heard the thud, ran around and I saw three people on the ground," Tariq Jahan told reporters.

"My instinct was to help the three people. I didn't know who they were, who'd been injured. I helped the first man, and somebody from behind told me my son was lying behind me.

"So I started CPR on my own son. My face was covered in blood, my hands were covered in blood."

Police launched a murder inquiry after all three Muslim men died. A 32-year-old man has since been arrested.

The men were part of a group of British Asians attempting to protect their area from looters after attending Ramadan prayers at a mosque, a friend of the men told BBC radio.

They acted after seeing gangs break into a petrol station and social club, and neighbours being beaten up, Jahan said.

Riots spread to England's second city on Tuesday after three nights of violence in London.

"Why, why?," Jahan said. "I don't understand. We are here defending the community of all the problems that are going on in the country. He was trying to help his community."

He said his son, Haroon, a mechanic, was well-liked and well-known in the community.

"You lose your son, I can't describe to anyone what it feels like to lose your son," he said.

An 11-year-old boy has appeared before magistrates, among scores of alleged rioters and looters

Reportage - 17:24

The boy, from Romford, Essex, who cannot be named, appeared at Highbury Corner Youth Court, where he admitted being part of a gang of youths who looted the town's Debenhams store on Monday night.
His appearance came as court staff ploughed through an influx of cases from recent riots in London.
Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, in north London, sat throughout Tuesday night to deal with cases, and is likely to again on Wednesday.
Defendants ranged in age, from different parts of London. The boy was the youngest defendant to appear in Highbury today.
Wearing a blue Adidas tracksuit, the youth spoke only to confirm his name, age and date of birth.

 

London riots: Police release more CCTV suspect images

Reportage - 17:23

Police have released a second round of CCTV images of suspects in its investigation into rioting in London.

The pictures are from the looting and violent disorder in Tottenham and Wood Green in north London on 6 August.

In total, 770 people have been arrested in London since Saturday and 167 charged.

A dedicated Met Police website is displaying the images of people it wants to speak to. Flickr is also hosting the photos.

The first pictures released by Operation Withern detectives related to looting and disorder in south London.

Operation Withern's priority is to bring those who have committed violent and criminal acts to justice.

 

police station in Nottingham was firebombed on Tuesday night as violence also hit Liverpool, Leicester, Bristol and Leeds.

Reportage - 09:13



Canning Circus police station in Nottingham was attacked by a gang of 30 to 40 men but no injuries were reported, according to Nottinghamshire police. The force said at least eight people were arrested in connection with the attack.

Around the same time, a number of cars were firebombed at a car lot in Carlton Road in the city.

The violence followed the arrest of 10 youths earlier in the evening after a small group of people got on to the roof of one of the buildings at Nottingham High School. In another incident two men, aged 17 and 18, were arrested after rocks were thrown at Bulwell Police Station in the city.

Between 6pm on Monday and 1am on Wednesday, police said they dealt with "well over 1,000" reports of incidents taking place throughout the city and elsewhere, and more than 70 arrests were made. Fires were set in various different locations and police said they had investigated reports that children had been setting trees alight.

Smithdown Road in Toxteth in Liverpool was closed by police after 200 rioters started hurling missiles at officers at about 11.30pm. A Merseyside police spokesman said the youths were "causing disorder and damage" and asked local people to avoid the area. She was unable to confirm reports that firebombs were being thrown.

Police and firefighters were called to reports of vehicles on fire in Birkenhead, while the town centre also saw damage to shops and pubs, with at least one pub set on fire. No-one was inside at the time.

Some 35 arrests were made on Merseyside in connection with the disorder.

A number of blazes were started by people rioting at a young offenders' institution in Bristol, the local fire service said. Up to 10 teenagers at Ashfield set fire to rubbish in one of the wings at about 7.50pm.

It took members of staff about 50 minutes to extinguish the flames, according to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, who were put on standby in case they worsened. "About seven to 10 people were involved in a riot," a spokesman said. "The prison staff are now dealing with the perpetrators." The fires were said to be small, with the level of damage done unclear.

Some 400 young males aged between 15 and 18 are held at Ashfield after being sentenced in courts across the South West, Wales, the Midlands and the London area.

Meanwhile a gang passing through Chapeltown in Leeds threw stones at cars parked outside the Central Jamia Mosque. A senior member of staff at the mosque, who gave his name as Ali, described the culprits as a large group of rioters.

Leicestershire police said on their Twitter account that their officers were dealing with a group of youths in Leicester city centre.

The violence has been spreading outside of London since Monday night. Police in Liverpool were pelted with missiles and cars were torched on Monday, while looters in Bristol targeted jewellery shops and set a gas main on fire. There has been sporadic trouble in Leeds

In Liverpool, disturbances began shortly after midnight on Monday as pub and restaurant windows were shattered with stones, showering late-night drinkers and diners with glass . Several hundred people, some as young as 10, roamed High Park Street attacking buildings and cars at random before looting a Tesco Express, smashing police station windows and setting a police van on fire.

Cars and wheelie bins were set alight on a trail of destruction that stretched from the city centre to the Toxteth, Dingle and Wavertree areas.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Gangs of masked youths have gathered in Birmingham city centre and some shop windows have been smashed.

Reportage - 06:04


A McDonald's restaurant, close to the city's cathedral, has had a window broken and eyewitnesses have reported more damage in the Colmore Row area.

West Midlands Police said it was aware of some disorder, including vandalised shops and incidents of theft.

Nine people have been arrested, a spokesman said.

An eyewitness took footage of people going in and out of damaged shops in Birmingham's city centre during the disturbances.

Riots have spread across England from London, forcing the Prime Minister to return early from his holiday to deal with the escalating crisis.

Reportage - 05:52


Scenes of widespread looting, violence and arson were seen not only in the capital, where riots began on Saturday night, but in other major cities. The worst rioting in decades led to the arrest of hundreds of people, as streets were turned into war zones.

David Cameron flew back to Britain to chair the Government's emergency committee Cobra and meet police chiefs, having been on a family holiday to Tuscany.

Home Secretary Theresa May condemned "sheer criminality" as police and emergency services were overwhelmed by a third consecutive night of trouble, with riots starting in London in the daylight hours on Monday.

Scotland Yard was forced to use armoured police vehicles to push back more than 150 people in Clapham Junction, south London, last night as the disorder hit shops and businesses. The force said it would use the tactic elsewhere if needed. Commander Christine Jones said events were "simply inexcusable".

Yobs took to the streets of Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool throughout the night in copycat attacks. West Midlands Police arrested about 100 people in Birmingham after youths went on the rampage in the city centre's retail area, near the Bullring shopping mall. Meanwhile, cars were set alight in Liverpool, and police officers were pelted with makeshift weapons including golf clubs as they tried to contain the gangs. In Bristol, residents were urged to avoid the city centre by Avon and Somerset Police after 150 rioters hit the streets.

London bore the brunt of the violence however, with more than 1,700 extra officers deployed to all corners of the capital. The "opportunistic" attacks saw major fires set in Hackney and Peckham. A man in Croydon was also injured in a shooting.

Scotland Yard said 334 people had been arrested, 69 charged and two cautioned across the capital, as police officers from neighbouring forces were drafted in to help tackle the riots.

Mrs May said: "I think this is about sheer criminality. That is what we have seen on the streets. The violence we've seen, the looting we've seen, the thuggery we've seen - this is sheer criminality, and let's make no bones about it."

Consecutive days of violence came after a peaceful protest in Tottenham on Saturday, which followed the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, on Thursday. An inquest into Mr Duggan's death is due to open this morning at High Barnet Coroner's Court

Monday 8 August 2011

The latest disturbances in the capital were centred around Hackney in east London, and Lewisham, Peckham and Croydon in the south.

Reportage - 22:24

The latest disturbances in the capital were centred around Hackney in east London, and Lewisham, Peckham and Croydon in the south.Sporadic violence has broken out in several parts of London as shops are looted and police are attacked in a third day of civil disorder - and there has also been unrest in Birmingham.
Clapham also fell victim to rioting, with rows of shops on Lavender Hill attacked.
Prime Minister David Cameron is to return to London overnight in the wake of the unrest and will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency committee Cobra on Tuesday.
And Britain's most senior police officer has called on parents to contact their children as he urged the public to clear London's streets.
Acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Tim Godwin criticised another wave of "gratuitous" violence as he appealed directly to families to help officers bring the situation under control.

London riots spiral out of control

Reportage - 22:23

Rioters were rampaging across Britain's capital again tonight as politicians and police chiefs tried desperately to curb the "sheer criminality".

Home Secretary Theresa May condemned chaotic scenes while Scotland Yard beefed up its presence before looting and violence spiralled out of control for a third consecutive night.

As thousands of yobs took to the streets across the London districts including Hackney, Lewisham and Peckham, Scotland Yard's most senior officer called on parents to contact their children and urged the public to clear London's streets.


The fresh wave of violence also spread north to central Birmingham, with police saying shop windows had been smashed and looting had taken place.

At least 215 people have been arrested and 25 charged following the riots across London over the last two days.

Acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Tim Godwin attacked the "gratuitous" violence and appealed directly to families.

He said: "I do urge now that parents start contacting their children and asking where their children are.

"There are far too many spectators who are getting in the way of the police operation to tackle criminal thuggery and burglary.

"I'm imploring that people within those communities actually start clearing the streets to enable my police officers to deal with the criminality that's occurring in front of them."

Mrs May said: "I think this is about sheer criminality. That is what we have seen on the streets. The violence we've seen, the looting we've seen, the thuggery we've seen - this is sheer criminality, and let's make no bones about it.

"That's why I say that these people will be brought to justice, they will be made to face the consequences of their actions and I call on all members of local communities to work with the police constructively to help the police to bring these criminals to justice."

A total of 153 arrests were made overnight and early this morning after boroughs in north, south and east London fell victim to the first round of copycat rampages following trouble in Tottenham on Saturday.

As skirmishes broke out again between police and hooded youths, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said "big scars" would be left from consecutive nights of rioting.

Scenes of violence in Hackney, Lewisham and Peckham echoed those in other areas of the capital over the past two nights, with skirmishes between gangs of youths and police, reportedly prompted by a stop and search incident earlier today.

In Hackney, rioters, many wearing hoods and masks, were confronted by police lines spanning the streets, occasionally moving forward to push the groups back.

Officers in riot gear tried to control the situation, coming under fire from objects including chairs and pieces of wood.

At one point several people broke into the back of a stationary lorry, pulling its contents out on to the road, with some hurling it at police and others using it to smash windows of a bus.

South of the river in Peckham, teams of riot officers were seen charging at fleeing troublemakers after a major fire was started at a shop adjoining a Greggs bakery.

A nearby bus was also set on fire while TV footage showed a trail of bins and an abandoned vehicle ablaze in Lewisham.

Croydon, Barnet, Streatham, Clapham and Islington were among a number of areas where shops were being advised to close early amid warnings they would be targeted.

A sign on the door of Tesco on Islington Green read: "Sorry, we have been closed by the police until further notice."

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said there would be a third more officers on the ground than there were last night, which was three times more than the previous night.

He said the force was getting police officers to Hackney "in numbers" to respond to violence in the area.

Opportunist rioters over the past two nights are believed to be aged from their mid-teens upwards, he added.

Last night's wave of looting was "disgusting behaviour, ripping apart people's livelihoods and businesses", he said as he vowed to deliver "speedy justice" for Londoners in the wake of the violence.

Mr Kavanagh also apologised to the family of shooting victim Mark Duggan - whose death sparked the original violence - for not managing their "needs" better as he warned that rioters "will not be tolerated".

He added: "Let me make it clear that people who are using current events as an excuse or cover to break the law, steal, attack police officers and cause fear to Londoners will not be tolerated by the vast majority of Londoners and us.

"Our investigation, which is massive in scope, is continuing. We are liaising with businesses and communities across London, including at a borough level, to keep people up to date with what we are doing."

Mr Clegg, who returned from holiday this morning, condemned the violence earlier as "completely unacceptable".

After walking down part of Tottenham High Road and speaking with business owners, Mr Clegg met local police chiefs, councillors and religious leaders.

Mr Clegg was joined by local Labour MP David Lammy and Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone as he met Steve Moore, who lost his jewellery shop in Friday's violence.

Mr Moore said: "I'm devastated, it's completely gone. My shop just doesn't exist any more."

London mayor Boris Johnson interrupted his family holiday in North America and is returning to the capital to deal with the situation.

The fresh violence came after a peaceful protest in Tottenham on Saturday, which followed the fatal shooting of Mr Duggan, 29, on Thursday.

Last night's looting across London was carried out by "small and mobile" groups, Scotland Yard said.

Kit Malthouse, London's deputy mayor for policing, said the violence was perpetrated by a small group of people "looking for stuff to nick".

He denied that the resignations last month of Scotland Yard commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and assistant commissioner John Yates in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal had contributed to gaps in decision-making at the top of the force.

Scotland Yard said at least nine officers were injured in last night's violence, including three who were taken to hospital after being hit by a fast-moving vehicle at 12.45am. The officers had been in the process of making arrests in Chingford Mount, Waltham Forest, after a shop was looted by youths.

Last night saw violence and looting in Brixton, Enfield Town and Walthamstow Central.

An inquest into Mr Duggan's death is due to open tomorrow at High Barnet Coroner's Court, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

The watchdog said it was awaiting "further forensic analysis" to gain a comprehensive account of the shots which led to his death.

The Guardian quoted a source as saying that initial tests suggested a bullet found lodged in a police radio after Mr Duggan's death was police issue.

The IPCC will publish details of ballistic tests in the next 24 hours.

In Hackney, an officer could be seen lying on the ground after being struck on his shield by a missile.

Other officers created a cordon around him while he was treated by colleagues.

Buildings in Croydon, south London, have also been set on fire. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising over the area from several blazes.

On Peckham High Street, around 500 youths gathered near riot police.

A gang of 10 looters raided a loan shop and an ABC Pharmacy was targeted by men using plastic bags to cover their faces.

Dresses were among the items taken from a clothing store.

A cashpoint and a branch of Coral bookmakers were also badly damaged.

Three lines of riot police charged at a large group of youths outside Peckham Library, forcing them to retreat.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "I am shocked by the scenes we are seeing in parts of London.

"This violence and vandalism is disgraceful criminal behaviour.

"What we need to see is the strongest possible police response to restore calm and security to our streets and for communities to work together.

"It is right that the Prime Minister is chairing Cobra. We need a coordinated response to ensure public safety and help those people who have lost homes and businesses."

Clapham also fell victim to rioting, with rows of shops on Lavender Hill reportedly attacked.

Sky News reporter Mark Stone said he was forced to move away from the scene as violence escalated, with police yet to get to the scene

 

Prime Minister David Cameron is to cut short his Italian holiday to return to London to handle the response to escalating riots in the capital

Reportage - 22:21

Prime Minister David Cameron is to cut short his Italian holiday to return to London to handle the response to escalating riots in the capital, his office said Monday.

Cameron, who has faced media criticism for being away during the riots, will return from Italy overnight. He will chair a meeting of a high-level crisis committee on the riots on Tuesday, his office said.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Robberies of necklaces and jewellery in London are rocketing because of the leap in gold prices

Reportage - 17:06

Robberies of necklaces and jewellery in London are rocketing because of the leap in gold prices, Scotland Yard said today.

Detectives say some robbers are even trying to sell gold shops jewellery which is still stained with the blood of mugging victims.

The Met was today signing an agreement with the Cash Converters chain to exchange information to crack down on suspicious transactions. In future stores will alert police if they believe they are being offered stolen goods.

The number of robberies in the past three months leapt by 18 per cent across London. But in some boroughs the figure is much higher.

In Haringey the number of muggings has doubled.

Police say the problem of gold snatches was once confined to the Asian community, where it is usual for women to wear gold jewellery. Pc Mahesh Nandha of Harrow Police said: " We used to see mainly women in the Asia community wearing gold jewellery all the time.

"In Harrow we had a lot of people being targeted. But now we are seeing these sort of robberies happening across London. We are advising people to cover up what they are wearing while they are out on the street."

In November last year Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone was punched and kicked to the ground by robbers as they stole jewellery from him and his girlfriend. They were forced to hand over £200,000 of jewellery, a watch and diamond rings.

Deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said the agreement with Cash Converters would help police identify robbers and make it harder for criminals to pass on stolen goods.

He said: "The Met takes street robbery very seriously and we are determined to crack down on this type of crime which is extremely traumatic for the victim."

David Patrick, chief executive of Cash Converters, said: "We certainly do not want stolen property brought into our stores and we are pleased to be working with the Metropolitan Police."

London burns in protest over fatal police shooting

Reportage - 16:54

EMERGENCY services worked to restore order in the Tottenham district of north London last night after demonstrators went on a rampage, torching vehicles and buildings amid looting in protest at the fatal shooting of a local man by police.

Eight injured police officers, one with a head wound, were receiving hospital treatment following the violence that began on Saturday and extended into early yesterday, drawing condemnation from British Prime Minister David Cameron's office.

"The rioting in Tottenham last night was utterly unacceptable," a Downing Street spokesman said. "There is no justification for the aggression the police and the public faced, or for the damage to property. There is a police investigation into the rioting, and we should let that process happen."

Police said last night they were still having to deal with "isolated pockets of criminality in the Tottenham area involving a small number of people". A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said all blazes were under control.



The clashes followed a protest over the death of 29-year-old man Mark Duggan on Friday during an apparent exchange of gunfire with police. The demonstration began with a peaceful rally outside the police station on Tottenham High Road, but then escalated when two police cars were attacked with petrol bombs.

A public double-decker bus was then torched as the violence rapidly spread, with gangs of hooded youths descending on the area.

The situation raged out of control as hundreds ran amok, setting shops and other vehicles on fire.

Under a hail of missiles and petrol bombs, riot officers and mounted police battled to regain control of the streets and escort fire crews safely through to tackle the series of blazes.

One witness said the scene resembled the Blitz, or when parts of London burned following German bombing in World War II.

"So many people have lost everything. It's just crazy. It looks like the Blitz," Tottenham resident Stuart Radose told Sky News television yesterday.

Tottenham is an racially diverse urban area best known for its English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur.

The unrest followed what was a peaceful march in protest over the death on Thursday of Mr Duggan, a father of four who was shot in a minicab. He died at the scene.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said firearms officers had stopped the minicab to carry out a planned arrest. They were accompanied by the police unit focused on tackling gun crime in the black community.

"Shots were fired and a 29-year-old man, who was a passenger in the cab, died at the scene," the commission said.

An officer appeared to have had a lucky escape in the incident, as a police radio was found to have a bullet lodged in it.

The protest march began at Broadwater Farm, a public housing estate in Tottenham. In 1985, police constable Keith Blakelock was hacked to death on the estate during riots.

 

Thursday 4 August 2011

300 officers swooped on the Pembury Boys gang - whose members are allegedly linked to a series of shootings, rapes, assaults and major drug dealing.

Reportage - 05:53

Police today raided a notorious London street gang using tactics similar to the cult US TV series The Wire.

More than 300 officers swooped on the Pembury Boys gang - whose members are allegedly linked to a series of shootings, rapes, assaults and major drug dealing.

A total of 32 addresses were raided at dawn across east London in a hunt for 26 known gang members and their associates. By midday 23, including two women, had been arrested.

Searches recovered a large quantity of class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin, an imitation firearm and more than £8,000 in cash. Officers also recovered 40 mobile phones and more than 60 Sim cards.

Detectives likened the operation to the fictional TV series The Wire, set in the US city of Baltimore, because of its length, the fact it targeted the senior and middle-ranking echelons of the gang and its use of covert tactics.

Commander Peter Spindler, the head of covert operations at Scotland Yard, said police had thrown the "full might of covert policing" against the gang including the use of "human intelligence, technical surveillance and covert surveillance". Sources said the arrests came after an 18-month operation, the longest covert inquiry conducted by the Met.

Most of the arrests took place on the Pembury estate in Hackney. The Pembury Boys are reputed to be one of London's most violent street gangs.

In a unique move the operation was heavily funded by Hackney council. Housing and probation officials worked alongside police officers. Det Insp Rhys Willis, who organised the operation, said: "We are taking out suspects who we believe are flooding Hackney and the surrounding areas with drugs. This operation will remove a swathe of gang members and violent criminals from the streets."

Specialist officers using hydraulic battering rams smashed their way into homes during today's raids. Shortly before 6am officers burst through the grilles of a fifth-floor flat on a council estate in Shoreditch. Inside, a 41-year-old man was arrested and officers found a silver imitation handgun, half a kilogram of heroin, cocaine and at least £1,000 in cash. Det Chief Insp Gary Bruce said: "This is not a one-off initiative. We are concentrating all the resources of Hackney police and the council to break the gang culture."

Police said those arrested were held for firearms and drugs related offences. Sources said many of those arrested were allegedly senior gang members.

One claimed: "Many of them operated below the radar. The only way we can get to them is through a long running operation such as this. They were involved in all forms of gang activity and enjoyed expensive lifestyles with no visible means of support.

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