Sir Mark Rowley said he was “pleased” with Wednesday night’s police operation
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley praised communities and police for their “show of unity” on Wednesday night, after fears of widespread far-right unrest did not materialise.
Many towns and cities across the country boarded up shops over fears of more violence following a week of violent disorder which started in Southport, Merseyside, on July 30.
But in most places, anti-immigration demonstrators were few and far between, with large numbers of counter-protesters taking to the streets instead.
Reflecting on the police operation, Rowley said: “I’m really pleased with how it went.
“We put thousands of officers on the street and I think the show of force from the police and the show of unity from the community together defeated the challenges that we’ve seen.”
He said the force had been carrying out dawn raids on Thursday morning in connection with last week’s disorder in Whitehall.
Rowley also revealed on Wednesday that police forces had changed their tactics in recent days, marshalling more officers and brigading them at strategic locations around the country.
Approximately 6,000 specialist officers will be at the ready by the end of the week, part of a so-called “standing army” of police announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday.
These officers were taken away from their regular duties to deal with ongoing disorder.
“We all need to be able to thrive in the communities we live and work in,” Rowley added.
“It was fantastic to see communities proudly taking the streets and saying, ‘we’re against racism, we’re against violence’, and that was massively successful.”
The police were understood to have been preparing for as many as 100 planned far-right protests on Wednesday night.
Large numbers of anti-racism demonstrators took to the streets in various cities in response, including 8,000 in Walthamstow, 7,000 in Bristol and 2,000 in Liverpool, according to Stand Up to Racism.
Similar numbers were seen in Brighton and Newcastle, the group said.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed two large anti-racism protests took part in Waltham Forest and Finchley on Wednesday night, but said they passed without incident or disruption.
Officers faced anti-social behaviour in Croydon from a small group but the incident was not believed to be related to protest, the force added.
Ten people were arrested for offences including assault on an emergency worker, breaching a section 35 dispersal order, going equipped for arson and violent disorder.
Elsewhere, one arrest was made near to the site of a protest in Blackpool, Somerset and Avon police arrested a person after a brick was thrown at a police vehicle in Bristol.
More than 400 people have been arrested so far for involvement in riots and disorder following a knife attack on a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, which left three children dead.
Misinformation spread online about the identity of the 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana, including false information about his name, and claims that he was an asylum seeker.
Addressing those considering taking part in future disorder, Rowley warned on Thursday: “You’re not going to get away with this.
“You’re on body worn video, you’re on CCTV, you’re on national TV, you’re going to get arrested, and you’re going to prison for years.”
Some of those arrested and charged for their involvement in this week’s riots have already been sentenced, after having their cases fast tracked.
Among them was 58-year-old Derek Drummond, who was handed three years in prison after he admitted violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker in Southport on July 30.
Liam Riley, 40, was also sentenced to 20 months in prison for violent disorder and racially aggravated behaviour in Liverpool on August 3.
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