dpa
London
A “standing army” of specialist police officers is being assembled to crack down on a wave of rioting in the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said as he called for perpetrators to be named and shamed.
Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency meeting was called in the wake of a sixth day of disorder which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.
Police clashed with crowds as the violence - one week on from the stabbings in the north-western English city of Southport which saw three young girls killed - continued to escalate 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 faced charges in court on Monday, 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, Starmer 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 Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said social media companies providing “a platform for this hate” must go further in tackling it.
The prime minister’s office also criticized 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. It comes as Starmer addressed the nation on Sunday amid the biggest challenge to his premiership so far, telling perpetrators they would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery.”
The unrest has prompted some members of parliament (MPs) to demand parliament is recalled so the problems can be debated in the Commons, as it was during the 2011 riots. The Home Office brought in urgent measures on Sunday to make sure mosques were offered extra protection so any threats of more attacks on places of worship could be responded to quickly.
