World News - Riot fightback under way says PM

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  • xman
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    • Sep 2006
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    World News - Riot fightback under way says PM

    10 August 2011 Last updated at 06:48 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.



    Police try to tackle masked youths in Manchester


    "We needed a fightback and a fightback is under way", the Prime Minister has said after four days of riots.

    David Cameron said every action would be taken to restore order, with contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice.

    On Tuesday night, unrest spread to cities including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, with shops being looted and set alight.

    Three men died when they were hit by a car in Birmingham.

    Mr Cameron, speaking after a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee said police were authorised to take "any action necessary" to bring the situation under control.

    He said: "This continued violence is simply not acceptable, and it will be stopped. We will not put up with this in our country. We will not allow a culture of fear to exist on our streets.

    "We have seen the worst of Britain, but I also believe we have seen some of the best of Britain - the million people who have signed up on Facebook to support the police, coming together in the clean-up operations."

    The PM said more arrests would take place as police worked through CCTV evidence. "Picture by picture, the criminals are being identified and arrested," he said.

    'We have your face' Earlier, London Mayor Boris Johnson urged the government to reconsider its plans to cut police numbers, saying the argument had been "substantially weakened" by the riots.

    Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said he had seen "the most sickening scenes" of his career, and said the force had been overwhelmed.

    Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, he said force was "absolutely intent" on bringing the rioters to justice and officers were already studying CCTV.

    "Hundreds and hundreds of people, we have your image, we have your face, we have your acts of wanton criminality on film. We are coming for you, from today and no matter how long it takes, we will arrest those people responsible," he said.

    Some 113 people have been arrested so far over the trouble in Manchester and Salford, where hundreds of youths looted shops and set fire to cars and buildings.

    In the West Midlands, 109 have been arrested and 23 charged following scenes of disorder in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich - where vehicles were set on fire.

    In other developments:

    Wounded officers Scotland Yard drafted in special constables and community support officers in London to ensure five times the usual number of officers for a Tuesday - 16,000 - were on duty. They made 81 arrests.

    Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.



    Asst Chief Constable Garry Shewan: "We have your image, we have your face ... we are coming for you"


    Downing Street said the increased level of policing would remain in place "as long as necessary" to prevent a repeat of the violence.

    It said while there was "no complacency," police tactics in London had "clearly worked".

    It followed three nights of rioting in the city which saw shops looted, property set alight and police attacked, with some 111 Met officers suffered injuries including serious head and eye wounds, cuts and fractured bones after being attacked by rioters wielding bottles, planks, bricks and even driving cars at them. Five police dogs have also been hurt.

    The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Stephen Kavanagh said London deserved "some resilience and sustainability from police".

    'Rapid response' Referring to proposed police cuts, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "That case was pretty frail and it's been substantially weakened. This is not a time to think about making substantial cuts in police numbers."

    But the Home Office said the reductions in the police budget were manageable.

    Labour leader Ed Miliband called for a "rapid response" from the government to help affected communities.

    He urged the government to work with the insurance industry "to put in place fast-track procedures with immediate effect so that individuals and businesses making claims do not have to wait for the money they need to start putting things right".

    The Association of British Insurers says the damage is likely to cost insurers "tens of millions of pounds".

    The riots first flared on Saturday after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, by police.





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