Summer riots could happen again, says police watchdog

Telegraph

a day ago

There is 'every possibility' of a repeat of the 2024 summer riots, the police watchdog has warned, as a poll exposed ongoing deep divisions in society.
Writing for The Telegraph, Sir Andy Cooke, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, warned that factors which fuelled last summer's riots remained including community tensions, online misinformation and social media platforms that allowed hatred to be 'amplified'.
He said this meant police forces had to be prepared and must not 'be caught off-guard' as they were last year when his inspectorate found that they failed to mobilise fast enough nationally, missed intelligence that would have enabled them to predict the rising threat and not got to grips with the powerful role of social media.
His warning comes as an Ipsos poll of 1,000 adults revealed more than four in five (81 per cent) believe Britain is a divided society. Asked to identify the biggest source of tensions, more than six in 10 (61 per cent) cited divisions between 'immigrants and people born in Britain'.
This was up from 52 per cent last year before the Southport attacks and summer riots. Eight in 10 also said they were concerned about people 'resorting to violence' to solve disagreements. That was an increase from 71 per cent in July 2024 before Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls attending a dance class in Southport.
This summer has already seen violence break out at a protest over asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, after the arrest and charging of an asylum seeker at the hotel with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Protests against asylum hotels have since extended to locations across the country.
Sir Andy said his inspectorate's investigations into last year's riots found no evidence of 'deliberate premeditation by organised groups'. Instead it was mostly disaffected people, influencers or groups that incited people to act violently and take part in the disorder, rather than criminal factions or extremists.
'But social media and online platforms amplified false narratives and incited participation at a pace that traditional policing approaches simply could not match,' he said, adding that police had not kept pace with the 'fast-developing nature of online communications' which meant they were unprepared. This, combined with a delay in mobilising nationally and intelligence failings, weakened forces' responses.
'The police service should not be caught off-guard again,' said Sir Andy. 'There is every possibility that similar violence could reoccur, and this fact should not be shied away from. Online misinformation continues to spread. Community tensions persist.
'The tools that amplified hatred during the summer of 2024 remain largely unchanged and largely unregulated. While not every tragedy can be prevented, forces must be better prepared for what follows. The police service must modernise its understanding of how disorder develops and spreads in the digital age.
'Forces must strengthen their connections with the communities they serve, and focus on building the trust and understanding that can help prevent tensions from escalating into violence.
'The loss of these three young lives was a tragedy beyond comprehension. As we remember them, let us make sure that the lessons are learned and changes implemented. The safety of our communities depends on it.'
The poll found older people are more likely to believe Britain is divided. Nine in 10 (91 per cent) of those aged 55 to 75 think British society is split, versus 69 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds. Reform UK voters (90 per cent) are the most likely to see society as divided versus 78 per cent for Labour and 82 per cent Tory.
The 61 per cent who now believe the biggest source of tension is between immigrants and British people is a marked increase from 2019, the year of Boris Johnson's election victory. Then it was just 40 per cent before rising to 52 per cent last year before the riots.
Four in 10 (40 per cent) cited tensions between ethnicities as the next biggest source of tensions, followed by 38 per cent saying the differences between rich and poor and 37 per cent referenced religions.
More than three-quarters of Britons (78 per cent) were concerned about acts of violence throwing the country into chaos, suggesting that the murders of the three young girls by Rudakubana, for which he received a life sentence, has left an indelible scar on the nation.
The public is critical of the role of political leaders in healing the divides that they perceive in society. A clear majority (58 per cent) believe that 'politicians in general' are doing a bad job at encouraging people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs to get on well together.
Social media companies are also viewed negatively, with half (50 per cent) stating they are doing a bad job. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, is seen as doing a bad job by 47 per cent of the public, while 45 per cent say the same of Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader.
The most pressing worries for the public remain the state of the British economy (85 per cent are concerned) and the state of British public services (83 per cent concerned).
Three-quarters (76 per cent) said that the rise of religious extremism was a concern, similar to August 2024 just after the Southport attacks and riots. Just under three-quarters (72 per cent) were concerned about the rise of small boat crossings and illegal immigration.
Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, said: 'There is a clear and growing anxiety about the potential for violence to replace peaceful debate.
'The challenge for political leaders, who the public feel are currently failing to bridge these gaps, is to address these fears and find a way to foster greater social cohesion.'
'We must not be caught off-guard again'
By Sir Andy Cooke
A year has passed since violent widespread disorder erupted in towns and cities across the UK. It was sparked by the murders of three young girls in Southport: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. As we remember their lives and the profound grief their families continue to endure, we also reflect on the violence that broke out in the days that followed.
Many of the people who took to the streets participated in unlawful and serious violence and disorder, not peaceful protests. Those who took part in the disorder put communities in fear by damaging property, targeting religious buildings and attacking people's homes. This put the emergency services under significant pressure, including the police whom offenders targeted deliberately. Officers displayed bravery in the face of extreme violence that was utterly shameful and unacceptable. Many police officers sustained injuries, and some were hospitalised. It is to their enormous credit that they kept the public safe.
Over the past year, the inspectorate has conducted a comprehensive review of the police response to this disorder. Our findings, published in two tranches, reveal both the unrelenting courage of police officers who kept the public safe under immense pressure, and the critical gaps that left forces unprepared for the scale and nature of the violence they faced.
We found no evidence of deliberate premeditation by organised groups. It was mostly disaffected people, influencers or groups that incited people to act violently and take part in disorder, rather than criminal factions or extremists. But social media and online platforms amplified false narratives and incited participation at a pace that traditional policing approaches simply could not match. The causes of the disorder were complex, but the overwhelming speed and volume of online content further fuelled its spread.
The police service, despite the dedication and professionalism of individual officers, simply hasn't kept pace with the fast-developing nature of online communications. And forces were not equipped to deal with the repercussions as the disorder rapidly unfolded. The national mobilisation plan was activated too late. Intelligence systems failed to adequately predict the rising threat. Most concerning of all, forces had not learned sufficiently from previous instances of disorder, including the need to react to changing public sentiment. At a time of national emergency, the police intelligence strategy – necessary for forces to respond effectively – should be clear and obvious to all.
'Vital that we learn from these events'
The recommendations in my reports are a starting point. But it is vital that forces learn from these events, and strengthen their response to future instances of disorder to make sure the public are kept safe.
In my review, I urged the police service to improve its disorder-related intelligence systems and processes. It is positive to see that the police have worked with others to improve the provision of intelligence to national and local commanders. The National Police Chiefs Council have set up three new central teams that will allow them to better identify and quantify threats and provide support to local forces to target those intent on disorder. Nationally, the police are now better able to analyse data and deliver information quickly and accurately to seize the narrative from those that spread mis and disinformation. And just recently, we saw what can be achieved when forces adapt their approach.
In Liverpool, when faced with tensions after a car drove through crowds of football supporters, Merseyside Police immediately acted on one of our recommendations from our rapid review. It quickly and proactively took the decision to provide information about the suspect involved. This early communication helped prevent the spread of false narratives and likely prevented further disorder. And the way Merseyside Police handled the release of information shows just how effective, when used in the right circumstances, this approach can be.
I am also encouraged by the work done by the police, the Government and other law enforcement agencies to develop a joint national approach to disorder-related intelligence. These arrangements help to make sure mobilisation happens quickly and provides national police commanders with the intelligence they need. In turn, this helps them to make good and timely decisions that protect the public.
The police service should not be caught off-guard again. There is every possibility that similar violence could reoccur, and this fact should not be shied away from. Online misinformation continues to spread. Community tensions persist. The tools that amplified hatred during the summer of 2024 remain largely unchanged and largely unregulated.
While not every tragedy can be prevented, forces must be better prepared for what follows. The police service must modernise its understanding of how disorder develops and spreads in the digital age. Forces must strengthen their connections with the communities they serve, and focus on building the trust and understanding that can help prevent tensions from escalating into violence.
The loss of these three young lives was a tragedy beyond comprehension. As we remember them, let us make sure that the lessons are learned and changes implemented. The safety of our communities depends on it.