Police forces were unprepared for the scale of the disorder around Britain after the Southport murders of July 29, 2024, according to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The official inspectorate has published part one of its review of the police response to the public disorder during midsummer 2024.
As for whether the police could have anticipated the disorder, the report ‘suggests that the risks of disorder were greater than the police believed them to be’, for one thing because of cases of disorder at asylum seekers’ hotels in 2023. and violence around Armistice Day remembrance in London in November 2023. Police leaders admitted that ‘national mobilisation should have happened sooner’, on August 2, after widespread disorder after the Southport murders, beginning in Southport on July 30. What the inspectors describe as ‘the largest mobilisation of POPS [public order] officers since the violent disorder of [August] 2011’ came on August 7.
Dogs
Among public order police resources are dogs. The report noted no service-wide standard on personal protective equipment (PPE) for police dogs. The report said: “Police dogs rely on their handlers to look after them and withdraw them when necessary. Some dogs were injured during the disorder.” The inspectors were told that national PPE options for police dogs are being ‘considered’. And as for horses, standard-issue PPE doesn’t take account of the seated nature of a rider. The report suggested that the police take up drones as a tactic during public disorder, as in August ‘drones gave commanders access to valuable live images that helped their decision-making’.
‘Need to change’
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: “The national mobilisation of POPS resources, along with the quick identification and prosecution of offenders, was instrumental in ending the disorder and restoring peace. The professionalism of those leading the response deserves credit. But the systems and processes they work under need to change.
“With hindsight, the national mobilisation plan should have been activated earlier. Intelligence assessments didn’t predict rising violent disorder well enough; it is crucial that forces are able to better anticipate these threats so they can prepare effectively. The police service must enhance its plans so it can mobilise resources quickly and efficiently. Regrettably, this review highlights that the police service hasn’t learned all the lessons from previous notable incidents of violent disorder.”
Comments
At the National Police Chiefs’ Council, NPCC Lead for Public Order, Essex Chief Constable BJ Harrington said: “Hindsight can be useful, and these learnings are important, but we are pleased that the Inspectorate also recognise how complex of a situation this was for policing to respond to, and that on the whole, the service did so well.”
For the Association of Police and Crime Commissioner (APCC), Chair and PCC for Merseyside, Emily Spurrell, said: “HMCIC, Andy Cooke, rightly commends the bravery of officers faced with an explosion of violence at a time when the shocking murder of three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, should have been uppermost in people’s minds. As PCC for Merseyside which includes Southport where the disorder began, I know the deeply challenging situation frontline officers were confronted with on the streets. I’d like to thank them once again for their work in keeping people and property safe along with those from local communities who came together to clear up and support one another.
“It’s clear that the national mobilisation of public order police and resources, once activated, was decisive in bringing the disorder to an end. This was an incredibly complex and challenging situation, and inspectors have concluded that mobilisation should have taken place earlier. Inspectors have also highlighted that there was a disparate intelligence picture and there must now be a focus on how we can seek to improve the level of resourcing and cross-agency communication to ensure police forces have the information they need to respond effectively.
“Much of the disorder was directed and encouraged online which is why tackling mis- and disinformation is at the forefront of our conversations about police reform with the new government. Intelligence is at the heart of this work, both online and in our communities. Neighbourhood officers embedded in the local communities they police are key to building an accurate intelligence picture which informs decisions on the appropriate policing response at local, regional and national level. PCCs have long advocated for increased visible neighbourhood policing because we know they are what the public want, and we look forward to the additional local officers and PCSOs that the government has promised.
“The ten days of serious disorder in the summer were extremely challenging for policing and worrying for communities, but it is right that we reflect on the police response – what worked well and what needs addressing – to make sure we can prevent any further outbreaks of violence in the future and respond robustly if incidents are expected.”
