Starmer to hold third Cobra meeting as police brace for more unrest

Some 20 potential gatherings and three counter-protests are planned for Thursday, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Sir Keir Starmer speaks with members of the West Midlands Police Force at Arden Academy in Solihull (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)

The Prime Minister will hold another emergency Cobra meeting with police chiefs as officers brace for more potential unrest on the streets.

Sir Keir Starmer is due to host the third high-level summit of its kind since violence broke out last week, after anticipation of more disorder largely failed to materialise on Wednesday.

It comes as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warned 20 potential gatherings and three counter-protests were believed to have been planned for Thursday evening.

NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens told reporters those “intent on violence and destruction have not gone away” as he said police were “very focused on the weekend”.

He suggested police patrols could be stepped up at lower league matches at the start of the football season amid concerns there could be flare-ups at forthcoming fixtures.

While perpetrators had been “deterred” and “received a message from communities”, there are “many potential events still being advertised and circulated online”, he said, adding: “There’s no complacency at all in our mind that we need to be prepared for the days and particularly the weekend ahead. So the policing posture remains the same.”

Some rioters have already been jailed for up to three years, as other suspects continue to face court over disorder across the country.

A 55-year-old woman from near Cheshire was arrested on Thursday in relation to a social media post containing inaccurate information about the identity of the attacker in the Southport murders.

Cheshire Police Chief Superintendent Alison Ross said: “It’s a stark reminder of the dangers of posting information on social media platforms without checking the accuracy.

“It also acts as a warning that we are all accountable for our actions, whether that be online or in person.”

The total number of arrests made after violence erupted in the wake of the Southport stabbings now stands at 483, with 149 charges brought so far.

The figures are expected to “continue to rise significantly”, the NPCC said.

More than 160 demonstrations were planned for Wednesday but only about 36 took place with “minimal disorder and only a handful of arrests”, according to police chiefs.

Fears of midweek riots after the days of disorder which had gone before saw shops boarded up and staff told to work from home where possible in towns and cities anticipating more trouble.

Large numbers of people instead gathered in areas including Walthamstow in east London, Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool and Sheffield to take part in counter demonstrations.

Stand Up to Racism claimed an estimated 25,000 people took to the streets to show they were against racism and violence.

Nick Emmerson, of the Law Society of England and Wales, said the threats purporting to target immigration law firms were an “attack on our democratic values”.

Mr Stephens described what actually unfolded as a “turning point”, but admitted being “nervous” beforehand, adding: “I think what we saw last night was a loud and clear message from communities that they’d had enough, that there’s no place for hate, that there’s no place for violence.”

The cost of damage to neighbourhoods caught up in the violence was “going to take a long, long time to recover”, he warned.

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster said the riots had cost the region an estimated £300,000.

Despite more incidents of violence being largely curtailed, the Prime Minister insisted it was “important that we don’t let up” as he told broadcasters while visiting a Solihull mosque he would hold the next Cobra meeting to “reflect on last night but also plan for the coming days”.

Wednesday night’s events turned out “much better than was expected”, Sir Keir said as he suggested deploying thousands of police officers and the quick sentencing of those involved were the reasons riots did not materialise.

“We were able to demonstrate the criminal justice system working speedily, so yesterday we saw the sentencing of individuals who had been involved in disorder days ago, some of them getting sentences as long as three years.

“That sent a very powerful message,” the Prime Minister said.

In the West Midlands, Sir Keir also met with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, Muslim residents and police officers attended some of the violent clashes.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley had earlier suggested the “show of force from the police” and “the show of unity from communities” together “defeated the challenges that we’ve seen”.

He also told the BBC his force had carried out dawn raids as they hunt for the most violent perpetrators of the disorder seen in Whitehall last week, about 70% of whom he said had criminal backgrounds.

“We’ve got criminal damage, violence, weapons offences, football banning orders. These are criminal thugs,” Sir Mark said.

At least 191 police officers are thought to have been assaulted so far in the unrest, resulting in 100 being injured and 66 being taken to hospital, the PA news agency understands.

These are the latest known figures on officer injuries from 29 out of the 43 forces in England and Wales, according to police sources. The total number of officers injured across all forces is not yet known.

Mr Stephens said many police officers had sustained injuries including “fractures, lesions and severe bruising” amid the at times “brutal and ferocious” unrest.

Rehabilitation and psychological support will be offered to officers because “for many, it was absolutely terrifying”, he added.

Mr Stephens also made a plea to children not to ruin their lives by getting drawn into the disorder, as figures compiled by PA showed 17 people aged 17 or under had so far been charged with related offences.