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Thursday, 11 August 2011

As it happened: England riots day five

Key points

  • PM David Cameron says every action will be taken to restore order, with contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice
  • It is relatively peaceful across England on Wednesday night after rioting in several cities on Tuesday and in London the previous three nights
  • Three men, aged 31, 30 and 21, died when they were hit by a car in Birmingham as they protected property
  • MPs and peers recalled to Parliament for Thursday to debate riots
  • PM says police have legal backing to use any tactics necessary, including using baton rounds
  • Three courts in London will stay open Wednesday night to deal with the number of people charged 
  • Skip To Latest Live Text
  • 1321:
    The BBC's Clive Coleman at Highbury Corner magistrates' court says many are being committed for sentencing at the crown court. The reason for this is the magistrates' bench feel the riot was such an aggravating feature to the burglary that the crown court ought to sentence because they have additional powers. The magistrates feel that they had insufficient powers to sentence for a single count of burglary. They could only sentence for six months whereas that could be up to 10 years at the crown court.
  • 1341: The Met Police
    release a second tranche of images of people they would like to speak to about the recent disorder affecting parts of London, as part of Operation Withern.
  • 1340: Greater Manchester Police
    release a first batch of 17 CCTV images of suspects wanted in connection with the rioting and looting last night in Manchester and Salford.
  • 1343: Ministry of Justice
    statement: "We have enough prison places for those that are sentenced to custody. There is substantial capacity in the prison system."
  • 1348: The Police Federation
    says Home Secretary Theresa May has refused to meet its chairman Paul McKeever this week to discuss the policing of the riots. A statement is awated from the Home Office.
  • 1348: Home Secretary Theresa May
    tells BBC Radio 4's The World at One that she has ordered all police forces in England and Wales to mobilise special constables, cancel police leave and adopt the "tough, robust approach" seen in London last night.
  •  
    1349: Met Police Staff employee in London
    e-mails: I read with interest that the mayor of London is now advocating not cutting police officers. What I would like to mention is it is us police staff in boroughs that are keeping things operating and supporting officers whilst they are moved from their office duties onto the streets at present. Why not a case for us not being cut, especially us in an operational roll, or is it of course that we are just considered as "civvies" who do not count?
  • 1350: BBC Monitoring
    Correspondent Dmitriy Melnikov on Russian state news channel Rossiya 24 suggested that British shopkeepers and insurance companies might not be the only ones to pay for the rioting. "For Prime Minister David Cameron, these pogroms have turned into the most serious test of his entire political career," Melnikov commented.
  • 1356:
    Read about the broom army resisting the riots after a twitter campaign.
  • 1357: Gloucestershire Police
    say a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old woman have been arrested over the disorder in Gloucester last night.
    Assistant Chief Constable Ivor Tywdell says officers are "working through a large amount of intelligence and information from the community". There are now a total of 12 people in police custody.
  • 1409:
    In case you are wondering, this is a new live page on the England riots. A BBC record, the old page had been constantly updated for three days and users were reporting problems uploading it. You can see the earlier entries here.
  • 1414: Hazel Blears, Labour MP for Salford and former Secretary of State for Communities
    has just returned from inspecting the damage in Salford after last night's trouble. Speaking to BBC 5 live she says: "Small businesses who employ local people are now going to have completely rebuild and that's what has made me so angry - these small minority of criminals, who are ruining it for good and decent people."
    When asked whether she would mind if water cannons were introduced into the city, she says: "As fas as I'm concerned the police should so what it takes."
  • 1422: Sir Hugh Orde Chief Constable and President of Association of Chief Police Officers
    tells BBC News 16,000 police officers will be deployed to London again tonight.
    He says the nationwide situation is "serious but not critical", adding Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Chris Sims, is arresting around one person a minute at the moment.
  • 1428:
    In Peckham, south London, the boarded up window of a store hit by rioters has been turned into a makeshift peace wall.
    Man looks at notes of peace on boarded-up shop in Peckham
  • 1432: Housing minister Grant Shapps
    tells BBC News that anyone found to be involved in the violent outbreaks across England, should be "very mindful" of participating in the unrest because it could affect their eligibility for public housing in the future.
  • 1432: Darrell James - former gang member from Hackney
    tells the BBC's Newshour that gangs are "out of control" and young people have been "ignored" for too long.
    "Apart from being gang-members, they're kids. We're adults, we're supposed to dictate to them, not them dictate to us."
  • 1435:
    Courts in London ran through Tuesday night, as they begin processing the first people accused of rioting. BBC News legal correspondent Clive Coleman reports from Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court.
  •  
    1440: Crime intelligence analyst from London
    emails: I too would like to ask the prime minister and mayor of London who they think are directing the police by sifting through intelligence and identfying potential vulberable locations for disorder? It's not the front-line staff that they promise will not be cut but the backroom staff who they are offering no such promise about! Every intelligence researcher across London was offered voluntary redundancy in the last two months.
  • 1444: Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond
    says 250 police officers have been dispatched from Scotland to the Midlands and the north of England to help combat rioting and disorder.
    He added there are 17,000 officers available for duty in Scotland tonight, in case violence breaks out.
  • 1451:
    The Association of Police Authorities is warning that funds held by its members could be "decimated" by claims made for damage caused by the riots.
  • 1501: Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Queens Park Rangers Football Club
    The Premier League will decide on Thursday if this weekend's opening round of matches are to be delayed due to the unrest across England. Bernie Ecclestone says postponing matches would send out a "terrible message" to the rest of the world ahead of next year's Olympics.
  • 1521:
    The Birmingham Bullring will close at 16:00 BST as a precautionary measure. Additional security measures will be in place, including fully-trained protection dogs to safeguard the malls and surrounding areas.
  • 1534:
    People living in the Winson Green area of Birmingham are being urged to remain calm after three men were run over and killed as they protected property, writes the BBC's Caroline Gall.
  • 1539:
    A friend of a Malaysian student who was filmed being mugged after rioters attacked him in London tells the BBC Mohd Asyraf Haziq is in "good spirits" and recovering in hospital.
  • 1544: West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims
    says that in a city which has a history of racial tensions people's views on the incident in Birmingham in which three men were run over and killed should not be ignored: "I think it would be unhelpful to hide from the perception that the incident will create, and we need to tackle that perception head-on, and we will need support to address it."
  • 1550:
    Two teenagers are remanded in custody in Scotland after appearing in court accused separately of using Facebook to encourage people to riot. A 16-year-old appeared in private at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with breaching the peace. In Dundee, an 18-year-old was refused bail over allegations he conducted himself in a disorderly manner and committed a breach of the peace. Neither entered a plea.
  • 1550: London Mayor Boris Johnson
    is visiting Enfield and Tottenham, which witnessed scenes of rioting, this afternoon.
  • 1555: Greater Manchester Police
    say an 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after the Miss Selfridge store in Market Street, Manchester, was set alight overnight on Tuesday. The suspect is in police custody for questioning. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said the arrest was a "prime example of how quickly we are working".
  • 1602:
    An 11-year-old was among those appearing before magistrates today in Romford, east London. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Highbury Corner Youth Court where he admitted being part of a gang of youths who looted Debenhams store in Romford on Monday night.
  • 1617:
    Labour leader Ed Miliband hails "the real spirit of Manchester" as he meets volunteers involved in the city centre clean-up following Tuesday's riots
  • 1621: Simon Reed, Vice Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales
    reacts toTheresa May's cancelling of all police leave.
    He tells BBC 5 live officers accept there is a "national emergency" and understand the nature of their job means this can sometimes happen. But, he says, many officers will be left "out of pocket" as they will not be able to go on the holiday they paid for and will not be compensated for the money lost.
    Some members of the police officers have worked up to 36 hours with no rest, he adds.
  •  
    1622: Darren, from Birmingham,
    texts: Could the government not cut all benefit payments for a period to any 'rioters' charged and subsequently found guilty? Most will no doubt only get a fine, but a cut in benefit will hit them harder!
  • 1631:
    The Association of Chief Police Officers - which is co-ordinating the transfer of police officers, police dogs, horses and other riot equipment and vehicles between forces in England and Wales - says six forces have requested assistance tonight.
    They are: Avon and Somerset; Gloucestershire; Greater Manchester Police; Metropolitan Police; Nottinghamshire and West Midlands.
    Assistance is being provided by 51 police forces across the UK.
  • 1638:
    Prime Minister David Cameron is in Wolverhampton. He has met members of the emergency services at the civic centre and spoken to local residents and people affected by the disturbances.
  • 1645: British rapper Plan B
    condemns the riots in England in an audio clip released on his website.
    The 27-year-old east London rapper questions the rioters motives, asking: "What's the point of getting arrested and getting put in jail for a pair of new trainers or a microwave?"
  • 1651:
    The BBC understands Deputy Labour Leader Harriet Harman and other Labour MPs including Meg Hillier, Stephen Timms, Chuka Umunna and Diane Abbott have been granted a meeting with Home Office Minister James Brokenshire at 1630 BST to demand a rethink on police cuts in London.
  • 1707:
    The BBC apologises for a live interview on its news channel - broadcast on Tuesday - in which presenter Fiona Armstrong accused guest Darcus Howe of taking part in riots. The Corporation said it had not intended to show him any disrespect.
  • 1708:
    Here's the exchange between Mr Howe - a writer and presenter - and Ms Armstrong:
    Armstrong: "You are not a stranger to riots yourself I understand, are you? You have taken part in them yourself."
    Howe: "I have never taken part in a single riot. I've been part of demonstrations that ended up in a conflict. Stop accusing me of being a rioter and have some respect for an old West Indian Negro, because you wanted for me to get abusive. You just sound idiotic - have some respect."
  •  
    Labour Party leader Ed Miliband
    tweets: Responsibility is the key to stop these #riots happening again
  • 1709:
    South Africa's government issues a warning for people travelling to London, suggesting they postpone their trips because of the riots. The Department of International Relations said it would continue to monitor the situation.
  • 1715:
    BBC political reporter Ed Lowther reports that the first e-petition to pass 100,000 threshold looks set to be one calling for rioters to lose benefits: it's at 78,000 signatures and needs to get past 100,000 for the backbench business committee of MPs to discuss whether or not to call a Commons debate on it.
  • 1729:
    London Mayor Boris Johnson gets a stern talking to on walkabout in Enfield. Watch the footage here
  •  
    Daniel Jackson, UK,
    texts: As a retired Department of Employment job adviser, and as a former youth worker, I'm forced to say youth unemployment is at its worst, and when both youth centres and youth projects are being scrapped, these high-energy teens need work, need money, need a sense of community, otherwise gang culture grows.
  • 1730:
    Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh tells the BBC the policing of the violence in London is taking a "huge toll" on the Metropolitan Police and on the "quality of service to other victims of crime".
  • 1733:
    Officers from Salford City Council and its housing provider, Salix Homes, are reviewing CCTV images to see if they can help identify any of the offenders, with threats to evict tenants if they are found to have been involved.
    Council leader John Merry says people needed to understand their actions had consequences and "anyone who can do this to their own city is not welcome in Salford".
  • 1746:
    Greenwich Council also says it will be seeking the eviction of council tenants if they are found to have been engaged in criminal activities.
  • 1749:
    Amateur footage posted on YouTube claim to show police beating a person suspected of rioting. But please note the BBC cannot verify when this footage was taken, nor the context leading up to the events.
    Manchester Police have so far not commented.
  • 1755:
    Prime Minister David Cameron describes the apparent hit-and-run killing of three men in Birmingham as a "truly dreadful incident" and offers his condolences to their families.
  • 1759:
    In London, 805 people have now been arrested in connection with violence, disorder and looting and 251 charged, Scotland Yard says.
  •  
    Will from Bexhill
    e-mails: I'm 19, I have a job and completely condemn the looting. It's pathetic and mindless. I think Greenwich Council saying it will be seeking the eviction of council tenants if they are found to have been engaged in criminal activities is the right sort of attitude!
  • 1818:
    Mr Cameron, who has been visiting the West Midlands Police Command and Control Centre in Birmingham, adds: "I know that the police here in Birmingham, here in the West Midlands, are working night and day to get to the bottom of what happened and bring the perpetrators to justice.
    "We rely on the police to keep our communities, to keep our country, to keep our shops and homes safe. They need our support in doing that job."
  • 1819:
    Greater Manchester Police's twitter feed confirms that two men have been sentenced to 10 weeks and 16 weeks over rioting.
  • 1820:
    "Two people already jailed for their part in last night's disorder - swift justice. Two men sentenced to 10 weeks and 16 weeks. First of many," the tweet from Greater Manchester Police reads.
  •  
    Pete, Manchester
    e-mails: The e-petition about removing benefits is worrying. If a basic means of income is removed what are these people going to turn to? More burglary and crime I bet.
  • 1833: Danny Shaw Home affairs correspondent, BBC News
    The Prison Governors Association issues a veiled warning that jails may not be able to cope if the current "turmoil" on the streets continues.
    The Association also reveals that prisoners have been moved from jails in London to accommodate those detained by the Metropolitan Police following the disturbances.
  •  
    1843: Jackie from Peckham, London
    emails: I've just read with disbelief the sentences of 10 weeks and 16 weeks, I don't understand why the sentences are so light. The damage caused to communities and businesses is going to take longer than 10 to 16 weeks to rectify! This sends out the wrong message completely!!
  •  
    1849: Leonie in London
    emails: I agree with Pete's earlier previous message, cutting peoples benefits could lead to more crime, but I do feel that there needs to be repercussions for their actions. We should make them clean up and rebuild the homes and communities they destroyed.
  • 1900:
    A 20-year-old woman has been charged after allegedly posting a Facebook invite to a "riot" in Wakefield.
    A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police says the woman had been charged under the Serious Offences Act, 2007 and has been bailed to appear before Wakefield Magistrates on August 24.
  • 1905:
    We've just heard that the British Red Cross will be distributing vouchers to people who lost their homes and possessions as a result of rioting in Croydon. The vouchers will be able to be redeemed for clothing or other items in British Red Cross shops.
  •  
    1912: The Evening Standard's Mark Prigg
    tweets: Brixton town centre totally normal and relaxed. Loads of Welsh police about, feels just like being back home.
  • 1920:
    In a further Libyan response to unrest in the UK, Libya's official news agency Jana has published a report urging the UN to protect British "protesters" from "repression".
  • 1927:
    A bit more information about the two men that have been sentenced to 10 weeks and 16 weeks over rioting in Manchester. Jason Ullett, aged 38, was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and sentenced to 10 weeks. Ricky Gemmell, aged 18, was sentenced to 16 weeks in youth custody.
  • 1931:
  •  
    1933: New York Times Journalist Ravi Somaiya
    tweets: Shocked by mundanity of looting, per court docs. One woman accused of stealing "six bottles of nail varnish and a tin of Callaloo".
  • 1936:
    Tariq Jahan, whose 21-year-old son, Haroon, died after he was run over by a car in Birmingham, has called for people not to resort to vigilantism against rioters and asked his community to ''stand united".
  • 1938:
    "Blacks, Asians, Whites, we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? What started these riots and what's escalated them? Why are we doing this? I lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home," Mr Jahan tells the BBC.
  • 1940:
    The Mayor of London was out and about meeting residents in London again today. This time he popped up in Enfield.
    London Mayor Boris Johnson meets with local residents as he visits Enfield
  •  
    1944: Labour MP Chuka Umunna
    tweets: News in relation to the exceptional funding pot to compensate for unrest which we've been calling for is likely in the next 24 hours.
  •  
    1950: Jess Brammar at ITV News
    tweets: Gave in and put my stab vest on - but more for the warmth than the protection at this stage, it's a bit chilly in Birmingham tonight
  • 1955:
    Merseyside Police says 15 men have appeared before magistrates in connection with the outbreaks of disorder. A total of 25 men and youths aged between 15 and 42 have been charged with an offence.
  • 2017:
    The Home Office extends the deadline for applications for the post of Metropolitan Police Commissioner because of the impact of the riots. Applications were due to be in on Friday but are now been accepted up to next Wednesday, 17 August.
  • 2111:
    The Guardian has an interactive map worth having a look at. It claims to detail every verified incident in the riots across England.
  • 2117:
    Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, is on the streets of Clapham Junction in London speaking to locals following scenes of rioting and looting there on Monday night.
  •  
    2118: Lucy from Edenbridge, Kent
    writes: Tariq Jahan has shown incredible dignity in the midst of such personal tragedy. He is the voice of reason.
  • 2129:
    Keith Vaz tells the BBC the streets of London have to be saved from those involved in "mindless criminality". Speaking from Clapham Junction, he says his committee will decide on Thursday whether to hold an inquiry into what has happened and will look at the causes.
  •  
    2147: The BBC's Five Live
    is out in Eltham taking pictures and tweeting: Police bottled by large group of white males in #Eltham in southeast London. Situation under control. NOT a riot.
  • 2150:
    Former detective superintendent Michael Gradwell explains how the weather may be helping to keep the streets trouble-free. "In Manchester tonight it's raining, which is the best police officer ever and does stop great disorder all on its own."
  • 2151:
    Scotland Yard has named the 26-year-old man who died after being found shot in a car during riots in Croydon as Trevor Ellis, of Brixton Hill.
  • 2203:
    In a statement, West Midlands Police say the situation across the area is calm at the moment as 1,000 officers parade the streets.
  • 2218:
    Westminster Magistrates' Court is dealing with riot cases all night, until 07:00 BST. The court is dealing with cases attracting sentences of up to six months. Anything beyond that goes to the crown court.
  • 2236:
    Police release CCTV pictures of a man they want to speak to over an alleged serious assault in Ealing on Monday night.
    The suspect is described as a black man of big build who was wearing a white t-shirt with writing on the front and dark coloured jumper over his shoulders.
    CCTV picture of man wanted over an alleged serious assault in Ealing
  • 2244:
    Detectives also release a still of a potential witness who was at the scene when a 68-year-old man was attacked on Springbridge Road at 22:45 BST.
    Det Ch Insp John McFarlane, who is leading the investigation, says: "The image we have released is of a man we believe was not involved in the disorder but would have been close to the attack of our victim at the time it happened."
    Witness to Ealing assault police want to speak to
  • 2254:
    So far it's all quiet across Gloucester following Tuesday night's trouble. Gloucestershire's Assistant Chief Constable Kevin Lambert says there are a "significant number" of officers on duty.
  • 2301:
    Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the 20% police cuts need rethinking. She says the cuts are "unsustainble" and are "taking huge risks with law and order".
    "It is staggering and utterly shameful if it has taken these appalling events for ministers to start waking up to what everyone else has known all along."
  • 2303:
    In her statement, Mrs Cooper adds: "It's time the government realised the dangers of their cuts and re-opened the police spending review immediately."
  • 2332:
    A vigil is taking place in Birmingham for the three men killed in the early hours of Wednesday. The BBC's Jeremy Cooke says there are about 200 people are there, lighting candles at an entirely peaceful gathering.
  • 2333:
    Speaking on Newsnight, Tory party chairman Baroness Warsi says: "you can come out with crazy excuse after crazy excuse - there is no excuse. There is one thing that is happening on our streets and it is people going out committing criminal acts."
  • 2335:
    In reply to Baroness Warsi, Hackney MP Labour's Diane Abbot says: "Common sense tells you that the cuts are not going to make anything better soon but I reject the narrative that says the cuts has turned people into thieves in the here and now."
  • 2337:
    Ms Abbot adds: "We need sustainable plans to keep people safe. You can put 16,000 officers on the streets today, but what about next week and the week after? With these police cuts we won't have the level of policing we need."
  •  
    West Midlands Police
    tweets: "Police have carried out a total of 44 warrants at addresses across the region over the last two days and arrested 22 people."
  •  
    Hywel Griffith, BBC News Correspondent
    tweets: Westminster magistrates working through the night, with children and adults on trial for offences following #londonriots
  • 2340:
    The BBC's Nick Garnett says Salford is very quiet. "The shopping city is inundated with police in full riot gear but no sign of trouble and no feeling of tension on the streets."
  •  
    @CharlieSefton in London
    tweets: Can hear 3 sirens around Camberwell &2 helicopters. Starting to think this is normal now. Properly bored of it.
  • 2355:
    It's looking like a busy night for magistrates, with courts in London, Solihull and Manchester among others staying open through the night to fast track those already in custody for disorder related offences.
  • 0007:
    Residents in the Toxteth area of Liverpool have taken to the streets for a second night, hoping to prevent riots in the area. Garth Dallas from the group Toxteth Against the Riots says: "We've organised ourselves strategically; we have a relationship with Merseyside Police, who are aware of what we're doing; we've got contact numbers for commanding officers, who are able to respond to any flash points that we report to them."
  • 0009:
    Merseyside Police says it's "all clear" at the moment as rain continues to fall.
  •  
    Steph from Kent
    texts: All these people causing the riots and destroying people's lives should have their benefits and wages stopped all together. Then all their money should be put towards the massive cleaning up bill.
  •  
    Maria McBride from Liverpool
    writes: If the police are not given powers to fight back vigorously then the thugs will win. We need strong sentencing for those convicted and we need to make families responsible for the actions of their children. The message must be that education and hard work leads to decent jobs. These thugs are too ignorant to realise the social and economic damage they are doing to their own communities.
  • 0031:
    Eltham very quiet this evening and the heavy police presence is now dispersing, says the BBC's Rowan Bridge. He adds that earlier police used shields to disperse a crowd of about 150 people. Local youths remain on the street saying they came out to protect the neighbourhood and that it is not an English Defence League demonstration.
  • 0036:
    Two men, both aged 24 and from the Cardiff area, have been arrested in connection with the misuse of social networking websites in order to incite criminality.
    They were arrested as part of an ongoing police investigation into a small number of public order incidents in the city on Tuesday night, South Wales Police say.
  • 0054: Robin Brant Political correspondent
    The current tally on the e-petition website looks like it will become the first e-petition to pass the required 100,000 signatories before it can be considered for debate by a committee of Mps. Currently, it has over 80,000 signatures.
  • 0101:
    Metropolitan police have arrested 820 people in connection with violence, disorder and looting. So far, 279 people have been charged.
  •  
    Paul Lewis, Guardian journalist
    tweets: The most moving scene since I began covering #ukriots: Muslims and Sikh's debate how to respond at location of #Birmingham deaths. Views are divided here. There are voices of dissent, but the crowd decides against marching into #Birmingham town centre. #ukriots
  • 0150:
    The candle-lit vigil in Birmingham held at the place where three men were killed last night when they were hit by a car has now finished, the BBC's Jeremy Cooke says. About 250 people took part and have decided to hold a march after prayers on Thursday.
  • 0211:
    On Thursday, Parliament is being recalled to debate the riots and looting. We're also expecting police forces across England to make more arrests as their investigations, which involve scouring hours of CCTV footage, continue.
  • 0213:
    We're going to end our live coverage of the riots now. Thank you for following our coverage which will resume later for the parliamentary debate.
  •  

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