London Disorder: Met updates and advice

Disorder: updates and advice
[From: Disorder: updates and advice - Metropolitan Police Service]

08 August 2011

00.00hrs Tuesday 9 August

Officers are working across London to protect people and property following serious outbreaks of disorder in a number of London boroughs.

This includes:

Hackney, where 250 -300 people gathered in Pembury Estate, Hackney setting alight cars and throwing petrol bombs. In Mare Street, businesses were looted and officers contained the situation. Three officers were injured but their condition is not believed to be serious.

Newham, where there was looting in Stratford High Street.

Lewisham, where roaming groups of youths were involved in disorder in a number of locations.

Bethnal Green where more than 100 people looted a Tesco premises and two officers were injured.

Croydon, where fires are burning at a number of premises including a very large blaze at a Sofa factory.

Commander Christine Jones said: “The violence we have seen is simply inexcusable. Ordinary people have had their lives turned upside down by this mindless thuggery. The Met will ensure that those responsible will face the consequences of their actions and be arrested.”

The investigation into the disorder is continuing as we pursue those who have engaged in this appalling violence. So far, 225 people have been arrested and 36 people have been charged. Pleased be advised that this is a constantly changing picture.

As part of the ongoing operation to protect London, more than 1700 extra officers have been deployed tonight. Met officers are working alongside colleagues from City of London Police and British Transport Police.

Mutual aid has been received and is ongoing from:

• Thames Valley Police

• Kent

• Essex

• Hampshire

• Surrey

• Northamptonshire

• Cambridgeshire

• Suffolk

• Sussex

Twelve specially-trained public order units are included in the mutual aid provision.

Ongoing resilience and contingency planning is in place to ensure we can maintain our response.

21.00hrs on Monday 8 August - Statement from Temporary Commissioner Tim Godwin:

Firstly, can I say thank you for allowing me to make this statement.

We have to report, from what you can see in the media coverage, that there is a significant disorder breaking out in number of our communities across London.

As a result of that we have a lot of police officers on duty but I do urge parents to start contacting their children and ask where they are.

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

I’m imploring that people start clearing the streets to enable officers to deal with the criminality that is occurring in front of them.

I understand grievances and there has been various debates about what the issues are that are making people commit these acts but what I have seen is pure violence and pure gratuity.

It is criminal damage and it is burglary. Myself and my officers will pursue all those engaged in criminality. We will put them in front of the courts and we will be asking the courts to send down significant sentences in relations to this form of activity.

There are many of thousands of young people in London who do not commit crime. We are seeing communities blighted by the actions of a few. I do ask people clear the way and allow us to arrest people.

We are going to be publishing lots of images of people who we have evidence of at this time in terms of criminal behaviour from CCTV and other footage.

I would ask Londoners once again, and normally Londoners do stand up together, to identify those people so we can arrest them.

Grievances, concerns and challenges in communities are things we should be talking about and are conversations we need to have.

It does not in anyway excuse the levels of violence and levels of damage. I can reassure Londoners that we have a lot of police officers out there.

We remain steadfast and determined. I have a lot of very brave officer who will continue to police this city. Just give us the space now to deal with these people.

19.00hrs on Monday 8 August

Looking ahead to this evening the MPS has additional officers on duty throughout the Capital to provide a highly visible and mobile presence on out streets.

The investigation - codenamed Operation Withern - is continuing apace and 215 arrests have been made in total since the disorder started on Saturday. Thousands of hours of CCTV are being reviewed by the team.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh said: "Our officers are out on duty across London, and we have extra resources policing the Capital. We will continue with this additional policing for as long as is necessary.

"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.

"I would ask Londoners if you know anything that may help us please get in touch with us via 020 8345 4142."

18.45hrs on Monday 8 August

Statement re family contact:

We are very sorry for the distress that has been caused to the family of Mark Duggan, especially because of the way in which his parents became aware of his death. It is always challenging when the police service has to ensure that an investigation is totally independent of them in order to sustain public confidence, and on occasion errors then occur in the hand over. Although immediate members of his family were told of Mr Duggan’s death, we accept that we did not inform his parents and it is clear that there are lessons that can be learned both by the MPS and the IPCC in this case.

On the night of Mr Duggan’s death the MPS sent specially trained Family Liaison Officers to the scene to meet with two members of Mr Duggan’s family. These FLOs agreed to the family members’ request that they tell Mr Duggan’s parents the news of his death themselves. The family liaison was then handed over to the IPCC Family Liaison Managers, who were fully briefed on what action had taken place. As is usual, from this point the MPS had no further on-going family liaison role and so were unaware of the concerns of Mr Duggan’s parents that they had not been formally notified by police of his death. Having become aware of these concerns we are contacting Mr Duggan’s parents via their lawyers and offering to meet with them.

17.45hrs on Monday 8 August

A total of 215 arrests have been made since the beginning of Operation Withern.

This figure includes 62 arrests made overnight 6/7 August and 153 overnight 7/8 August and throughout the morning of 8 August. Detainees are being held in custody suites across the MPS area.

Of those arrested, the youngest known recorded age is an 11-year-old male - who has since been charged with burglary.

The oldest person arrested is a 46-year-old man. He was arrested for burglary and has been bailed.

Of those arrested - for whom dates of birth have been provided - two were born in the 1960s, six in the 1970s, 49 in the 1980s and 98 in the 1990s.

As of 1500 hours the current situation regarding case disposal decisions for those in custody over the last 24 hours are as follows:

• 27 people have been charged so far. Of those:
• 17 charged with burglary (non-dwelling)
• 5 charged with violent disorder
• 3 charged with theft
• 1 for going equipped
• 1 for proceeds of crime act offences
• 2 cautioned
• 23 bailed
• 136 people are still in custody at this time

NB: The above figure totals 188 because we await full disposal figures at this time.

Crime scenes have been secured across many boroughs in the MPS; the most significant being in Tottenham, Enfield and Brixton. Investigators in Tottenham and elsewhere are working closely with LFB fire investigation teams regarding forensic retrieval.

The ongoing crime operation has deployed investigative teams across the MPS. Investigative teams are in the process of assessing and examining all relevant crime scenes and processing those people arrested in order to bring offenders to justice and secure best evidence.

The Operation Withern team is in contact with CPS regarding a co-ordinated criminal justice approach to the incidents of disorder.

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[Disorder: updates and advice - Metropolitan Police Service]

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