11/08/2011

PM Criticises Police Over Riots

Prime Minister David Cameron has admitted that there were too few police on the streets to deal with the recent spate of rioting across England.

Speaking during an emergency recall of Parliament today, Mr Cameron also announced a number of measures to deal with the recent disturbances, including a crackdown on facemasks and a review of curfews.

Mr Cameron also pledged to do "whatever it takes" to restore order to the streets, with other measures including tougher sentencing powers for courts, giving landlords more power to evict criminals from social housing and extending the system of gang injunctions across the country.

Mr Cameron had earlier held a meeting with the Government's emergency committee Cobra this morning before holding a Cabinet meeting and delivering an emergency message to the House of Commons.

A huge police operation, including the deployment of 16,000 officers in London, combined with heavy rain in some areas, appeared to prevent any more disturbances last night.

More than 900 people have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police, since the rioting began on Saturday, with more than 300 arrested in the West Midlands and nearly 150 people arrested in Manchester and Salford.

In Birmingham, a candle-lit vigil has been held for the three men who died after they were hit by a car while defending property. Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30 and Abdul Musavir, 31, were killed on Wednesday. A 32-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

The riots began on Saturday following a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan and the unrest then spread to other cities, including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

(KMcA/GK)

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