Has policing curbed the disorder but lost the argument?

Chris Hobbs reflects on the police response to the recent disorder and what forces should be doing to win the argument over allegations of 'two tier' policing and social media 'versions' of events.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article which bemoaned the fact that crime had escalated in the area where I live and shop. This related primarily to shoplifting, drug abuse and drug dealing:  I ended the article with the following;

“Those front- line officers are only too well aware that there is a tsunami of evil out there that could overwhelm this country to an extent that would dwarf the nightmare of the disorder seen in 2011. Cracks are clearly visible in the thin blue line that is still holding on…..just.” 

Those thoughts flashed into my mind as a young PC during a major riot in Southall, when our police line was in danger of being overwhelmed.

Bringing those thoughts up to date and as someone who has attended just about every public order event as an observer in London over the past six years, I confess that I had my doubts whether, in the face of full-blown riots, that thin blue line would hold.

The decimation of the police service since 2011 has had a devastating effect across the board. Increased demand, cuts in numbers, problems with recruitment and retention, poor leadership, time-consuming bureaucracy fragmented training and constant media denigration amplified by poor police ‘comms.’

Often, at protests, I’d look at public order trained ‘Level’ 2’s with their many youthful faces including slightly built female officers and wondered whether they would be able to hold their own in a situation which would be dangerous to the extent of being potentially life-threatening. My anxiety was not just focussed on the Met but forces across the country and I know I was not alone amongst many former officers who, shared those concerns. To those who I doubted, I can only apologise.

Harehills and police ‘cowardice’

The Leeds Harehills riot, where police withdrew from the area, drew scathing criticism from those on the right with accusations of cowardice prevalent across far-right social media. This, inevitably meant that all police officers were collectively smeared with the ‘cowardice’ label. There was little interest in the reasons for withdrawal or the fact that this is an accepted public order tactic in certain circumstances. Certainly, the fact that had officers remained for little purpose, they would have been overwhelmed, was deemed irrelevant.

The Southport tragedy with its false social media conclusions and assertions that the killer was Muslim, prompted the events that saw an emotive, dignified vigil succeeded by a full- blown riot as hundreds of protesters swarmed the area.

Officers initially performing duty at Southport, were in their ‘day’ uniforms as they came under attack but they unquestionably knew that withdrawal would mean that the Mosque being attacked would be overrun by rioters and raised to the ground, perhaps even with the terrified occupants still inside.

The violence used against those officers and the ‘kitted’ reinforcements that later arrived was extreme; the courage shown by the same officers was remarkable and the ‘coward,’ tag began to fade and was to disappear completely during the course of the next few days.

In all 39 officers were injured during the Southport riot with 27 being transported to hospital by ambulance.

The fire spreads

The London protest, the following Wednesday, never saw the level of violence that was seen at Southport or was to be seen elsewhere. The failure of protesters to realise that Whitehall is covered with cameras was to prove their undoing after they ignored the protest conditions and threw missiles at and scuffled with, officers. This led to those responsible being identified with many being arrested later on the night.

Friday set the pattern for what was to be a torrid weekend. In Hartlepool, police were deployed to protect a Mosque which was well integrated into the community raising over £20,000 for the British legion poppy appeal and providing meals those struggling locally, regardless of religion. The protection of Mosques became a key factor across the weekend together with another flashpoint; namely hotels which housed migrants/asylum seekers.

Accounts which I’ve heard ‘from the horse’s mouths’ who battled mobs and unquestionably saved lives at Rotherham and Tamworth were both shocking and awe-inspiring. Glimpses that illustrated the horrific levels of violence at Rotherham were seen on social media. Rioters actually managed to enter the Rotherham Hotel before being forced out by police.

In Tamworth, officers were splashed with petrol when they were in a hotel foyer; whether that was simply a prelude to arson or a deliberate attempt to immolate officers isn’t clear at this point. One officer was hospitalised and caused concern due to a head injury before being released.

One small beacon of hope occurred in Liverpool where a reproachment took place between anti-immigrant protesters and local Mosque officials thanks to food prepared in the Mosque itself.

Middlesbrough saw utterly pointless acts of violence and damage as protesters walked along roads smashing car and house windows without even a murmur of rebuke from other protesters.

In Rotherham, Tamworth, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth and elsewhere police, so often labelled as racist, stood up to racist mobs as they protected Mosques and hotels housing migrants.

Officers from other forces were deployed to help the most hard-pressed utilising a system of ‘mutual aid.’ Much in demand were the British Transport Police’s Operation Support Units (OSU) who are highly trained to ‘public order Level 1’ standard.

Damaging rhetoric

Anti-Muslim and racist rhetoric have been prevalent on social media for some time but has seen an increase since ‘X’ stepped back from dealing with offensive posts. The extent of ‘stepping back’ was illustrated by footballer Stan Collymore who complained that a posted response to him contained multiple uses of the ‘N’ word. ‘X’ stated that this not meet the threshold for any action.

Almost as prevalent as anti-Muslim rhetoric is bile directed against police. This used to be the province of the hard-left together with minority activist groups and individuals but that volume of that rhetoric is now dwarfed by that from those on the right of the political spectrum. This includes former cabinet ministers and large sections of the media although newspapers such as the Mail and Express, who normally denigrate police, were hugely critical of those engaged in the riots.

The term ‘two-tier policing’ can be seen across social media and unlike standard anti-Muslim phrases, is confined primarily to those on the right and extreme right who reside in the UK. ‘Two-tier policing’ can still occasionally be heard from the left but in any event, it provides a justification for abusing and attacking police officers.

Across Europe, we have seen the rise of the right and this has been reinforced by the resurgence of Tommy Robinson. His intention to support an antisemitism march organised by a pro-Israeli Jewish group received a hostile response from the organisers. He did, however, turn up and was arrested and ‘pepper-sprayed’ by police. The case was thrown out at court on St. Georges Day and he made a triumphant return to a St. Georges Day rally which saw some ‘push and shove’ scuffles with police before the event, which was absurdly portrayed as police brutality.

Organisers claim that a rally on July 27 in Trafalgar Square  had attracted an attendance of 100,000 which was clearly wishful thinking but it was still a formidable turnout that probably exceeded expectations.

Tommy Robinson was due in court on the following Monday in respect of a civil matter but, the day before, was stopped by police at Folkestone under the Terrorism Act whilst attempting to leave the country. He was allowed to proceed due the fact that his likely failure to appear was a civil matter.

A ‘light touch’ bench warrant has been issued.

Following the sizeable anti-racist counter-protests that took place in the aftermath of the riots, any future counter-protests are likely reach numbers which will present a major challenge and will be one of  the most contentious policing operations seen for many years.

Justice served?

The severe sentences being imposed on many rioters is also now a focal point for many on the political right. The fate of someone who smashes a window on a drunken night out should, according to critics, determine the punishment of an individual who smashes a window during a riot. One posted reply spoke of ‘throwing a few stones.’

Others, including it would seem judges, view offences committed during serious disorder as more serious than random offences. There will also be debate as to whether the widespread rioting amounted to an insurrection albeit a disorganised one. The definition of insurrection as stated by Oxford Languages is; “a violent uprising against an authority or government.”

Interestingly on the same page is a definition of ‘insurgent,’ as follows; ‘rebellious or in revolt against an established authority.’ Whilst a term which previously referred to those involved in violence in areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan, is relevant here is perhaps a matter for public debate.

‘Muslim mobs’

It was perhaps inevitable that, given the targeting of mosques in the aftermath of the Southport tragedy, Muslim youths and men would assemble to defend their local mosque. Some however roamed the streets looking to confront individuals and groups who they believed were a threat. In the Birmingham Bordesley Green area, several hundred Muslim youths gathered in anticipation of a far-right incursion. Police opted for a hands-off approach, possibly fearing that disorder would then draw in those from the far right.

There were a couple of minor incidents involving a motor vehicle but then, an individual who shouted insults at the crowd from just outside a pub prompted an assault on the pub with windows being smashed. Police in ‘riot gear’ were quickly on the scene but the incident again resulted in familiar allegations of two- tier policing.

The following day, local Muslim community leaders attended the pub to apologise and offer to pay for the damage.

In Bolton, police had to separate rival groups in scenes reminiscent of football disorder while in Middlesbrough Muslim youths chased down and attacked those they believed were far- right.

Inter-communal clashes have, considering the tensions, been relatively rare although a brief foray into social media would have an unaware observer believing a civil war was continually raging across the UK.

Although calm has returned to the streets for the moment, controversy still swirls around social media. A search on ‘white working class,’ will result in hundreds of responses. Many will bemoan the alleged neglect of the white working class and their concerns, which include immigration/migration issues. Within these numerous posts and glaringly obvious are subliminal assertions that neglect of these concerns led to the riots. Anger too at the sentences currently being imposed.

Anger is also being expressed in relation to arrests being made for incitement type offences primarily on social media. This has reportedly led to mass deletions of social media posts which could be considered ‘actionable’ by the authorities. Nevertheless, social media is still awash with posts which can be found by searching on parameters such as ‘deport Muslims.’

Nevertheless, concerns that ‘freedom of speech’ may be impacted by the reaction to recent violent events are valid and the issue needs to be closely monitored; for that we should be looking towards our representatives in Parliament.

Just how many have ‘club numbers?

One aspect of these riots that will intrigue those in the police community is the percentage of those arrested who have criminal histories. Every individual arrested and convicted of crime will be allocated a unique reference which can quickly be accessed via the Police National Computer (PNC). Those references are known colloquially to police as ‘club numbers.’

Previous convictions are normally revealed in court after a guilty plea or conviction and some press reports carry details of those convictions. It would indeed be helpful if police forces themselves revealed such details in post- conviction statements. This would give credence, or not, as to whether these riots were fuelled by the ‘criminal classes’ who have used issues around extreme Islam and illegal migration as an excuse to wreak vengeance on police.

Police bravery and police ‘comms.’

There is no doubt that police have had a bad press over the past few years. A vendetta by sections of the media resulting in constant denigration plus some appalling behaviour by individual officers, albeit a small minority, has reduced public confidence. The problem has been exacerbated by the failure of force ‘comms,’ to communicate positive examples of policing to the public. This has, to a certain extent, been partially obviated by the plethora of popular ‘fly on the wall’ police related documentaries.

The courage and dedication of officers across the country in dealing with recent extreme levels of violence which, at times was life threatening and their unwavering determination to protect the lives of vulnerable minority groups, surely provided and indeed still provides, an opportunity to ‘reset’ the attitude of the majority of the law-abiding public.

Merseyside police have showed the way with footage of Southport riot carnage and other forces have shown footage which illustrated the appalling actions of those who have since pleaded guilty to serious offences. Of course, forces and senior investigating officers will not wish to jeopardise forthcoming trials but even so, there is surely sufficient material ‘out there’ to promote the efforts of those officers who were on the front line during this period.

The public should also be hearing much more from very senior police bosses in order that constant allegations of ‘two-tier’ policing and indeed racist policing could be countered. At present the horrific levels of violence are being ‘airbrushed’ out of recent events by those on the far right who appear to be setting the agenda. There is also much that could be said to mitigate reports that we have recently seen that criticised the Met for its ‘failings’ and, more recently, child strip searches with its clear allegations of racism.

Forces should not be discouraged by hostile reactions to even their least controversial social media posts which inevitably trigger countless negative responses from both the police hating far right and also from the hard left.

Policing has an opportunity here and in future months, to reset public attitudes. Difficult months lie ahead but the very real opportunity to carry the overwhelming majority of the law-abiding public with the British police service is there to be taken.

Chris Hobbs is a former Special Branch officer who follows public order events for Police Oracle as an observer. 

Category: OpsPublic Order