Police forces must be better prepared to tackle future violent disorder
Police forces must be better prepared to plan for and tackle serious violence and disorder, the police inspectorate has warned, following a review of the police’s response to disorder in the summer.
Widespread unrest and violent disorder broke out in many towns and cities across the UK after three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, were killed in a knife attack in Southport on Monday July 29.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned by the Home Secretary to carry out a rapid review into the policing response to the disorder which took place, to identify lessons for the future. Part one, published on Wednesday (December 18), includes an assessment of the police service’s capacity and capability to handle violent disorder.
Inspectors found that the large-scale mobilisation of public order public safety (POPS) officers by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), along with the quick identification and prosecution of offenders, helped to bring an end to the violence. It was also recognised that throughout the disorder, police officers showed immense bravery and personal sacrifice. Throughout this challenging period, police forces kept the public safe and at the same time, communities supported them.
However, the inspectorate said that forces were unprepared for the scale of the disorder. With hindsight, it was found that the NPCC’s decision to implement the national mobilisation plan was made too late and should have been activated earlier on Friday August 2. Additionally, intelligence assessments did not predict rising violent disorder well enough and there were gaps in available information for some deployment decisions that were taken.
Inspectors found that national training standards and command structures for dealing with disorder were well-established. But they had concerns that the dress code initially set by some commanders could have left officers vulnerable to injury. They also said that POPS officer training should be improved and that there should be better use of the support offered by the National Police Wellbeing Service, introduced in 2019 to improve well-being.
HMICFRS has made three recommendations for chief constables, police forces and others to take forward, focused on enhancing force, regional and national plans. These include creating and beginning work on plans to improve:
- The police service’s capacity and capability to respond to widespread violent disorder; and
- How the police service mobilises POPS resources; and
the well-being support the police service gives to its officers and staff.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke QPM DL said: “The loss of three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, in the knife attack in Southport was a tragedy beyond comprehension.
“Following this, we saw violent disorder spread quickly across many towns and cities. Officers displayed immense bravery in the face of this violence and kept the public safe.
“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. Forces need to make, sustain and build on improvements.
“In my State of Policing report in 2022, I made clear the need for better national police decision-making and cooperation, especially when critical collective decisions are made.
“We urge forces to act quickly on our findings and recommendations. There is every possibility that similar violence and disorder could reoccur across the UK. The police service needs to be ready to respond.”
On September 6, 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to carry out a rapid review into the policing response to the disorder, to identify lessons for the future. The commission has been divided into two tranches of work.
The first tranche of work examines the policing response, including POPS capacity and resilience, mobilising police officers across forces, and the well-being and resilience of officers following exposure to incidents of disorder.
The second tranche will set out findings on intelligence related to violent disorder, social media misinformation and disinformation, and investigations into offences.
NPCC lead for public order, Chief Constable BJ Harrington said: “Scrutiny and reflection must always be expected after responding to major incidents such as this summer’s major disorder, and we thank the inspectorate and forces for working quickly to complete this work.
“The report states that, with hindsight, the national mobilisation plan should have been made earlier, and this is a helpful recommendation. 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. Of particular note, I’m pleased that the report recognises that the mobilisation of resources was instrumental in ending the disorder and restoring peace to our towns and cities.
“This was the largest mobilisation of public order public safety officers since 2011, and it is encouraging to see that the report acknowledges the immense bravery and professionalism shown by our people at this time, often in the face of serious abuse and threats.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and learning, and all of the report’s findings and recommendations will of course be considered very carefully. Those relating to the national management of public order related intelligence and also the process for effective national decision-making are timely, and can be considered as part of wider conversations currently taking place within policing and Government regarding police reform.”
The College of Policing is currently carrying out a thorough debrief of forces and officers. The themes being looked at include around welfare, tactics, leadership, and equipment. The responses to this are currently being analysed.
The NPCC has also already carried out an impact survey following the conclusion of the summer disorder to help understand what impact this had on individual officers.
The majority of respondents have reported being aware of the physical and wellbeing support available to them through their force but less aware that this support was available through the National Police Wellbeing Service, Oscar Kilo.
The NPCC said this finding has also been reflected in the report and it is “an important learning” and something that chief constables will take time to carefully reflect on.
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners chair 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 police and crime commisioner (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.
Mr Jones said: “Without question, we faced challenging times during the riots in Devon and Cornwall this summer, with the main disorder centring around Plymouth. The violent protests and public disorder were high-risk, and our officers were subjected to sustained verbal and physical assault.
“Officers displayed bravery, commitment and dedication to their duties as they dealt with the disorder in Plymouth. They helped restore order and calm to our communities in an appropriate, proportionate and professional way, which was well-received by the vast majority of people in those communities.”
He added: “The Federation is always committed to ensuring officer safety when members go about their duties, and this was an extremely volatile time.”
Mr Jones acknowledged that the force’s intelligence assessments did not predict the potential disorder well enough, but said that it overcame logistical challenges to deploy a large number of officers.
He said: “Our force faces daily challenges, some of which require an immediate response, and others that are intelligence-led and undergo extensive planning.
“Information and intelligence forms an important part of assessing threat, risk and harm, and on this occasion, the intelligence picture could have been smarter. Although we must always be wary of the possibility of false information and the ability of individuals to disrupt and distort intelligence.”
He continued: “There was an unprecedented policing need, and a number of resources were deployed. Given the considerable geographical area that our force covers, that took some time to plan, implement and execute.”
The HMICFRS report said that some police commanders initially deployed officers in standard uniform with no PPE, which could have left officers vulnerable to injury. Public-order officer training also needed improvement, HMICFRS said, and there should be better use of the National Police Wellbeing Service.
Mr Jones responded: “We will always reflect and learn lessons following such situations, and deploying officers with the appropriate PPE is an important aspect. But there is no doubt that officers showed immense bravery and resilience in the most challenging of environments until suitable resources could be deployed to control areas where a minority had chosen disorder over peaceful protest.”