The National Police Chiefs’ Council said in its latest update that 1,024 had been arrested and 575 charged across the country…reports Asian Lite News
More than 1,000 people have been arrested by the Police in connection with the riots involving violence, arson and looting as well as racist attacks which took place over the last two weeks in Britain, officials said.
The riots, which followed the killings of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport, began after the July 29 attack was wrongly blamed on a Muslim migrant based on online misinformation.
Violence broke out in cities across England and also in Northern Ireland, but there have been fewer instances of unrest since last week after efforts to identify those involved were ramped up. Many have been swiftly jailed, with some receiving long sentences.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said in its latest update that 1,024 had been arrested and 575 charged across the country. Those arrested include a 69-year-old accused of vandalism in Liverpool and a 11-year-old boy in Belfast.
A 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court, prosecutors said, having been seen on July 31 punching and kicking the entrance to a hotel for asylum seekers.
“This alarming incident will have caused genuine fear amongst people who were being targeted by these thugs — and it is particularly distressing to learn that such a young girl participated in this violent disorder,” prosecutor Thomas Power said.
Far-right riots took place after misinformation spread about the identity of the alleged perpetrator of the knife attack, with multiple people being jailed for spreading hate online in recent days.
The judiciary is swiftly moving through court cases and handing down lengthy sentences after disorder calmed down ahead of the weekend and the government vowed to crackdown on those involved. Among those appearing in court Tuesday was a 13-year-old girl who admitted to threatening unlawful violence outside an asylum seeker accommodation in Aldershot in the south.
One man, John Honey, pleaded guilty after being accused of helping attack a car with three Romanian men in it and attacking police during riots in Hull, northeast England.
Multiple social media accounts, including far-right activist Tommy Robinson and divisive social media influencer Andrew Tate, further amplified false claims.
Despite laws on not sharing the identities of minors, the spread of misinformation led a judge to allow the name of the accused to be revealed. Axel Rudakubana is a British citizen born to Rwandan parents who regularly attended the local church.
Even after this information was disclosed, far-right supporters attacked a mosque in Merseyside, as well as hotels housing asylum seekers in Rotherham and Tamworth. Major cities like Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, and Stoke also saw counter-protests from pro-refugee and pro-immigrant groups, leading to clashes in several locations.
Detectives are using a variety of sources to identify suspects, including drone and body-worn video footage. BJ Harrington, a chief constable who is the national lead for public order, warned that facial recognition, which is being used retrospectively, can identify people even if they are wearing masks.
Police chiefs are convinced their constant public messages about swift and robust justice will continue to act as a deterrent to some who may be tempted to join in the violent disorder seen in England and Northern Ireland since last Tuesday. The latest police statement is part of that campaign.
Gavin Stephens, the NPCC chair, said: “While the previous two nights have been a welcome break from the appalling scenes of the last week, and may have reached a turning point, we are by no means complacent.
“Our message to those involved in violence is that we continue to comb through thousands of images, live streams and videos as well as body-worn footage to find you.
“We are grateful to those who are calling us to identify those in the images circulated by forces. We are also grateful for the many messages of support to the officers, staff and volunteers that have faced hatred, racial abuse and violence whilst doing their job.”
The suspect in the Southport killings was charged in court last week when the judge also lifted restrictions on reporting his identity. He was named as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to a Rwandan couple and moved to the Southport area in 2013.
The last time Britain witnessed widespread rioting was in 2011, when the fatal shooting of a Black man by police triggered several days of street violence.
Fast and tough judicial action was viewed as helping quell the unrest in 2011, when around 4,000 people were arrested over several weeks.