Thousands of anti-racism protesters rallied on Wednesday, when anti-immigration protests had been expected.
That was a key moment when the tide turned in this wave of public disorder, says Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, one of the UK’s most senior police officers.
But this largely failed to materialise. Forces were aware of 160 sites of potential public disorder, but only 36 of those needed a significant policing presence. Looking back to Southport nine days ago, 500 or so rioters clearly outnumbered the Merseyside officers deployed to protect the local mosque.
In Walthamstow, riot officers began the evening trying to protect an immigration lawyer's office, but once thousands of anti-racism campaigners had turned up, the officers withdrew, and merely threw a protective cordon around the outside of the demonstration. Those 6,000 specially trained officers are still available to deal with future incidents, with officers being sent to different regions around the country as needed.When I asked Home Secretary Yvette Cooper if she believed Wednesday night marked an end to the violence she told me the government was “not going to take its foot off the pedal on this”.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, many of the rioters have pleaded guilty in order to reduce their sentences by a third.
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