Cameron: Police ‘fightback’ is working
The Prime Minister says flooding London with extra officers helped calm tensions, and water cannon will be available if trouble flares up again.
David Cameron has insisted a “fightback” by police helped quell unrest in London after a fourth night of rioting across the country.
The Prime Minister said a “more robust approach” by Scotland Yard on Tuesday night meant that there was less trouble than on previous nights.
Up to 16,000 officers were deployed in the capital after extra officers were drafted in from across the country. But ugly scenes of looting spread to Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has confirmed that six forces had on Wednesday asked for assistance from other areas. The request for extra resources is believed to have been made by the forces covering London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Gloucester and Bristol.
FactCheck: Counting the cost of the riots
Mr Cameron said water cannon will now be available to police at 24 hours notice if the violence that began on Saturday night flares up again, while the use of baton rounds was already authorised.
Speaking from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said 750 people had been arrested since Saturday, and 160 charged.
We needed a fightback, and a fightback is under way. David Cameron
He said the Ministry of Justice had assured him there are resources in place to prosecute large numbers of people involved in the riots and jail those convicted of violent crime.
Mr Cameron said operations were going on to pick up suspects who had been identified using CCTV images.
Boris sparks police cuts row
The Prime Minister was forced to defend the Government’s record on cuts to police budgets after the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said the rioting had “substantially weakened” the case for cutting funding.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has suggested around 16,200 police officers will be axed – along with 1,800 community support officers and 16,100 police staff, as a result of the Government’s spending cuts drive.
Mr Cameron said: “Mayors and local authorities always want more money. It is the Government’s job to give them what they need.” He said police chiefs had told him at Wednesday morning’s meeting of the Cobra emergency committee that forces have the resources they need.
Labour called for a rethink of the cuts, with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper saying: “This is further evidence that the Tory-led Government needs to urgently rethink its cuts to police officers and police budgets. Now is not the time to cut over 16,000 police officers across the country.”
Both Ms Cooper and former Labour mayor of London Ken Livingstone accused Mr Johnson of hypocrisy, saying he had presided over a reduction in police numbers in the capital.
Home Secretary Theresa May has insisted the budget cuts will go ahead, and Mr Cameron made no mention of a U-turn, despite saying: “We will not do anything that will reduce the amount of visible policing on our streets.”
Mr Cameron added: “We needed a fightback, and a fightback is under way.
“We have seen the worst of Britain, but I also believe we have seen some of the best of Britain – the million people who have signed up on Facebook to support the police, coming together in the clean-up operations.”
