Nearly 400 arrested after six days of violence on UK streets

Nearly 400 people have been arrested after six days of riots in parts of England and Northern Ireland, police say.

On Monday evening police were attacked in Plymouth as they attempted to keep rival protesters apart, petrol bombs were thrown at officers in Belfast and police dealt with unrest in the east of Birmingham.

Over the past week dozens of police officers were injured and shops, cars and homes damaged in disorder in the UK.

It erupted the night after three children were killed in Southport in a stabbing attack last Monday. This followed false rumours which spread online that a suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Over the weekend the prime minister condemned the riots as “far-right thuggery” and on Monday he vowed to “ramp up” the law to deal with the violence.

In Plymouth, police said on Monday night there had been a “level of violence” shown towards officers and a police van had been damaged.

“We are taking action against individuals who are intent on criminality,” Devon and Cornwall police said.

Supt Russ Dawe added “several” officers had been injured. He said a number of arrests had been made for a “range of public order offences and assaults”.

Speaking at a media briefing, Supt Dawes said he wanted to reassure the community the force was “fully resourced at this time, with a strong police presence”.

Supt Dawe added that those intent on committing crimes and public order would be “dealt with robustly”.

He said a number of arrests had been made for a “range of public order offences and assaults”.

In Birmingham on Monday evening, there were disturbances after hundreds of people gathered in the Bordesley Green area of the city following false reports that a far-right march had been planned there.

Palestinian flags were waved and anti-English Defence League chants were heard.

A group of youths later broke away from the gathering and attacked several vehicles and a pub.

West Midlands Police released a statement late on Monday which said officers were investigating reports of an assault and damage to a pub.

The force said: “No arrests have been made at this stage but there were sporadic incidents and we are investigating reports of an assault, incidents of criminal damage to a pub on Stoney Lane, a car which had its windows smashed on Alcombe Grove, Stechford, and further criminal damage to a vehicle which had its tyres damaged on Belchers Lane, Bordesley Green.

“We are also investigating reports of a man who was in possession of an offensive weapon.”

Ch Supt Richard North added: “Fortunately rumours of the significant protest activity in the city didn’t materialise.

“There were several sporadic incidents of criminality during the evening and we will work hard to arrest those responsible.”

In South Belfast, PSNI officers came under attack as riot teams were deployed to Sandy Row.

It follows a weekend of violence which saw businesses damaged after an anti-immigration protest in the city on Saturday.

On Monday, at least one petrol bomb and stones were thrown towards officers.

Police were stood down just after midnight.

On Monday, a week on from the attack in Southport in Merseyside, crowds gathered for a vigil there to remember the three young girls who were killed.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine were attacked as they attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, and 10 people were seriously injured.

Chris Rimmer, the cousin of Leanne Lucas – the yoga teacher whose dance event was attacked – told the BBC the riots should stop and were “disgusting”.

He told the BBC: “Why riot, it’s not going to help,” adding he would tell rioters to “just stop it. It’s pathetic… Just go home”.

In contrast he said tributes, flowers, vigils and support had given his family “strength” and had put “a smile” on his face.

The unrest in Belfast, Plymouth and Birmingham on Monday came after a day in which some of the first people who have been charged in connection with the riots appeared in courts across the UK.

Among those were Leanne Hodgson, 43, of Holborn Road, Sunderland, and Josh Kellett, 29, of Southcroft, Washington, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder in Sunderland at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Andrew Smith, 41, of High Street East in Sunderland, also admitted the same offence at Newcastle Crown Court. All three will be sentenced next month

Following disorder in Liverpool on Saturday, a 14-year-old boy was among those who also appeared in court on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to violent disorder at a youth court in Liverpool.

A total of 378 arrests have so far been made nationally since the rioting began on Tuesday, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council

Police say they are working “around the clock” to identify and arrest more people. Arrests were made across the country:

• London: The Metropolitan Police said 111 people were arrested in central London on Wednesday evening during a demonstration in Whitehall. Offences included violent disorder, assaults on officers, possession of knives and offensive weapons, and breach of protest conditions.

• Rotherham: At least six people have been arrested. One person has been charged, with six still in custody.

• Hull: Humberside police confirmed on Monday that 29 people have been arrested so far. One man has appeared in court charged with violent disorder, three counts of robbery, two counts of burglary and criminal damage.

• Hampshire: Police said over the weekend that five men were arrested over disorder during a protest at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot on Wednesday.

Sir Keir announced on Monday a “standing army” of specialist police officers would be ready to be deployed in the event of further riots.

Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting Sir Keir said he wanted the “earliest” naming of those charged, and that the criminal justice system would be “ramped up”.

“Whatever the apparent motivation this is not protest this is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities,” he said.

Sir Keir did not explain what he meant by a standing army.

A Downing Street spokesperson said later there were no plans for the military to be involved

The government was working with social media companies to ensure misinformation and disinformation is removed, the spokesperson said.

Neil Basu – former head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police – told the BBC he thought some of the rioting amounted to “serious acts of violence designed to cause terror to a section of our community”.

Mr Basu added that he felt some acts had “crossed the line into terror”.