Far-right activists hold an 'Enough is Enough' protest in Sunderland, England. Photo / Getty Images
Far-right activists hold an 'Enough is Enough' protest in Sunderland, England. Photo / Getty Images
British courts will sit for 24 hours to fast-track sentencing under government plans to crack down on far-right riots that swept the United Kingdom on Saturday and overnight.
Ministers were locked in talks this morning NZT with senior members of the judiciary about bringing in emergency measures following clashes in major cities that left police injured.
There were violent confrontations in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Belfast, Stoke, and Hull in a second night of serious rioting that first began in Sunderland.
Police officers were attacked and forced to draw their batons as they came under fire from bricks, bottles and flares.
In Hull, four people were arrested as three officers were hurt after a group of people targeted a hotel which houses asylum seekers.
Looting and arson attacks broke out in the city as the disorder intensified. Shop fronts were vandalised, with a Greggs, a Specsavers and Shoezone left smashed while small fires could also be seen outside.
Four men were arrested following disorder in Stoke-on-Trent.
The worst of the confrontations appeared to take place in Liverpool where a police officer was knocked off his motorcycle and attacked by masked men as he fled down the road.
As violence broke out the Prime Minister said the police had his “full support” to take “all action necessary to keep our streets safe”.
Sir Keir Starmer, who made the remarks during crisis talks with ministers, also labelled rioters who attack police officers as “extremists”.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, vowed to give police “all the backing that they need” to take action against “criminal disorder and thuggery”.
It followed scenes of destruction on Saturday in the wake of the knife attack which left three young girls dead and others injured in Southport earlier in the week.
The far-right activist protest held in Sunderland on August 2 is one of a number held in cities around the United Kingdom. Photo / Getty Images
Officials at the Ministry of Justice are now understood to be in discussions with the judiciary, as well as police chiefs and the Crown Prosecution Service, about magistrates’ courts staying open today to cope with an expected surge in the number of people in custody for riot-related offences.
This would involve triggering the Additional Courts Protocol, which is subject to the agreement and direction of the judiciary.
Any request for additional court slots or sessions, including extended hours, overnight or weekend courts, must now be made with the agreement of the relevant Chief Officer of Police and Chief Crown Prosecutor.
The protocol was put in place following the 2011 London riots which saw widespread looting and arson attacks across the capital, which later spread to other cities in England.
At the time, courts were asked to sit for 24 hours to process those in custody for disorder-related offences and this was subsequently praised as one of the most effective ways – with overwhelming police officers on the streets – of bringing the riots under control.
The then director of public prosecutions, Starmer, made a morale-boosting visit to Highbury magistrates’ court, in north London, at about 4am during a night sitting, and later praised the efficient response to the disorder.
Chris Philp, a Tory MP and former police minister, said: “What worked during the London riots in 2011 was overwhelming numbers of police officers in the right place and immediate justice”.
“Magistrates’ courts sat overnight so that justice was dispensed straight away – then it becomes clear that justice is being done.”
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary’s remarks about backing the police to clamp down on rioters followed warnings that officers were growing “wary” of using force in the wake of criticism from some politicians.
Brian Booth, acting deputy national chairman at the Police Federation, said that previous comments by senior politicians “vilifying” officers for using force has led to officers feeling “unsupported”.
He added this was particularly felt after the Manchester airport row in which police were criticised after a video appeared to show an officer stamping on a man’s head. Further footage of the confrontation later emerged showing the police officer being punched multiple times by the man.
He said: “Our members would love to go out and do their jobs but they are getting very wary of using force because using force doesn’t look great on cameras”.
“We expect officers to stand in danger and deal in danger but when they do, we very quickly vilify them.
“Are politicians going to stand up and support officers when something ugly happens? Because policing does get ugly.”
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence & disorder that happened in Liverpool city centre today (Sat 3 Aug). Six arrests have been made and there will be more arrests to come. Two officers are being treated in hospital.
Merseyside Police confirmed there had been looting in Liverpool.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence and disorder that happened in Liverpool city centre today.
“A group formed at 2pm [local time] at the Pier Head, with approximately 750 people in attendance. Soon after, a counter group, also made up of approximately 750 people, approached and objects were thrown at police officers and their vehicles.
— Liverpool Nightlife CIC (@NightlifeCIC) August 3, 2024
“A number of people set off fire extinguishers and threw various items including bricks and bottles at officers. An officer on a police motorbike was pushed from his bike and assaulted.
“A kiosk in Liverpool One and a phone shop on Church Street were damaged, broken into and looted. Officers remain in the city centre to monitor the situation.”
Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, who led the policing operation, said: “The behaviour we have seen today in Liverpool city centre is completely unacceptable.
“We have heard reports of families having to run away from the area, some of whom had brought children to see the Disney Princess cruise ship docked nearby.
“This disorder, violence and destruction has no place here in Merseyside, least of all after the tragic events that took place in Southport.”
James Cleverly MP, the shadow home secretary, urged the Government to do more to “restore order” and show that they were “gripping the situation”.
He said: “They should be giving regular updates alongside the police so potential rioters know that they won’t get away with this, and they must haul the tech companies in to ensure they are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of disinformation fuelling these events”.
Starmer was accused of abandoning an anti-social behaviour crackdown after it emerged that Labour had axed an existing scheme to deliver swift and visible punishments.
Police chiefs have been told by the Home Office that the roll-out of the Immediate Justice scheme has been cancelled, with the “state of the public finances” blamed for the move.
The scheme, which was launched as a pilot in March last year, meant those found committing anti-social behaviour would be made to repair the damage they inflicted on victims and communities.
A Home Office spokesman said it was “not sensible” to go ahead with the scheme owing to financial constraints but said clamping down on anti-social behaviour is a key part of the Government’s policy agenda.
A government spokesman said: “There are contingency measures in place across the criminal justice system, to handle any unexpected and exceptional increases in demand on magistrates’ courts”.
“Despite the exceptional pressure that we have inherited in our prison system, we will always ensure the strongest possible action can be taken against thugs attempting to sow hate and disorder by attacking police officers, destroying businesses and intimidating communities.”
