The Home Affairs Committee has launched a new inquiry into the policing of incidents of violent disorder in the UK during the summer of 2024. Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane was elected to the Committee last month and has hit the ground running, raising important questions around police resources in the first inquiry of this Parliament.
In July and August this year, significant disorder took place in towns and cities following the violent events in Southport. Violent protests took place in urban centres, and outside accommodation for asylum seekers, necessitating a significant police response. An estimated 40,000 additional officer shifts were required by public order officers in a ten-day period and over 1,500 arrests were made in response to the disorder.
Following the launch of the inquiry Margaret Mullane MP said: “The disorder we witnessed in communities across the country earlier this year posed a significant challenge to policing, particularly as 14 years of Tory cuts have left the police with scant resources.”
“The terms of the inquiry are set out to understand the situation police forces across Britain faced in relation to their response, policy, safety considerations and the distribution of resources. A key line of inquiry for me is the impact the riots had on policing resources in areas like Dagenham and Rainham, where fortunately there was no violent disorder.
“We know that local police teams are often abstracted for events, protests, and in this instance, unprecedented disorder, leaving many communities without a visible police presence. It is my hope that the inquiry attracts submissions from parts of the country that were effectively left with a skeleton police force for 10 days over the summer, and what impact, if any, this had on community safety in those areas.”
The deadline for submissions to the inquiry is Tuesday 10 December and after consideration by Members of the Home Affairs Select Committee it is anticipated that a report will be published in the new year to highlight the findings and next steps.
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