Name and shame rioters, PM says, amid disorder crackdown bid
A “STANDING army” of specialist police officers is being assembled to crack down on rioting, the Prime Minister said as he called for perpetrators to be named and shamed.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency Cobra meeting was called in the wake of disorder which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.
Police clashed with crowds one week on from the Southport stabbings as the escalating violence continued over the weekend across the country.
So far, there have been 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warning the total was expected to rise each day.
Several suspects – including a 14-year-old – faced charges in court yesterday, as ministers and police chiefs descended on Westminster for the meeting setting out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.
Calls for the army to be brought in have so far been dismissed, with the Government insisting the police already have the resources needed to respond.
Setting out the action to be taken after the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “The first is we will have a standing army of specialist public duty officers so that we will have enough officers to deal with this where we need them. The second is we will ramp up criminal justice. There have already been hundreds of arrests, some have appeared in court this morning.
“I have asked for early consideration of the earliest naming and identification of those involved in the process who will feel the full force of the law.”
He issued a similar warning to anyone whipping up violence online as the Technology Secretary said social media companies providing “a platform for this hate” must go further in tackling it.
Downing Street also criticised X owner Elon Musk for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in the UK, with officials suggesting online misinformation fuelling disorder on Britain’s streets may be being amplified by foreign state actors.
Meanwhile, judges have dealt firmly with defendants in riot-related cases, with many being remanded in custody and applications of bail denied.