A Muslim Chaplain in Liverpool has praised the police response to the riots over the summer, saying “at an individual level, they went through a lot”.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published a new report on Wednesday on how police forces dealt with disorder that broke out after the murder of three girls at a holiday dance class in Southport.
It found that a number of events leading up to the summer riots showed escalating tensions and unrest, but this had not been reflected in police intelligence assessments.
The report said: "We have found that the series of incidents of violence and disorder across the UK during 2023 and 2024 should have influenced the police service's assessments of threat and risk.
"Our assessment of these incidents suggests that the risks of disorder were greater than the police believed them to be.
"They involved extreme nationalist sentiment, aggravated activism or serious disorder. The incidents highlighted included: disorder near asylum seeker hotels in Merseyside and Rotherham in February 2023, riots after two teenagers died in an e-bike crash in Cardiff, and in 2024, unrest in Harehills, Leeds; the stabbing of a soldier in Kent; and a protest in Rochdale over footage of police officers using force while making arrests at Manchester Airport.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: "We found the police decisions to co-ordinate and mobilise those public order officers nationally were made too late, and the police didn't have a proper intelligence picture of the rising tide of violence.
"There were gaps in their intelligence functions, especially around the analysis of social media and other dark web media, and no one understood or could counter the emerging cause and effect of that misinformation and disinformation.
"So the police failed adequately to denounce it or mitigate against it in real time to deter or curtail the disorder."
Adam Kelwick is the Muslim Chaplain at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool, which was targeted in the days after the Southport stabbings.
He told LBC: “The police were fantastic in my opinion. I remember the night when the protesters came outside the mosque. It was very organised by them (the police).
“I spoke to one officer who told me that he was from amongst the original responders to the Southport stabbings. So, look at it on an individual basis and a human basis.
"This policeman is a human being and he had to respond to that. He was one of the first people there, and he was also involved at the riots at the mosque in Southport, and then he was involved outside our mosque and then he was deployed down to the pier front when police were being kicked off motorbikes and the riot vans were being attacked.
"And so, you know, at an individual level they went through a lot," he continued.
"I hear what people are saying in terms of being more prepared, but if I'm honest, it did catch everybody off guard. Other regional forces were used here in Liverpool, and I think it's just one of these things.
"But, when it came to the night of the mosque, you know, things were very well managed. That this is my experience and what I saw," Adam Kelwick continued.
“The police do find themselves in a difficult position because nobody seems to like the police, whether it's the protesters against the mosque or the ones rallying for save our children. Or even the anti-racists. Nobody seems to like them, and they do have a very difficult job to fulfil and personally from what I saw I think the response was above and beyond.
“As a society, there is a lot of room for improvement. You know, when we've reflected on what caused these riots, a lot of it goes back to misinformation, disinformation, ignorance, hatred, spread online.
"So, something has to be done. I know that the police, the government, they don't have an easy task of doing that, especially when they're trying to balance values like freedom of speech.
"So, I don't envy the people who have this difficult responsibility, but something does have to happen to make sure we don't get into the situation that we saw in summer.”
In total, 302 officers were injured during the unrest, of whom 54 were admitted to hospital. The day with the largest number deployed was August 10, when 6,675 public order officers were on duty.Mr Cooke has called for a national co-ordinator put in charge who could instruct forces to provide mutual aid and said some chief constables had dragged their feet over doing so.
There were also concerns about some officers being sent out in regular uniform rather than riot gear.Mr Cooke said: "I doubt it will be another 14 years before we see serious disorder. I hope it is, but I doubt it.
"I think we're in a different place, there are far more tensions across communities and far more ways of sharing information across the community.
"So policing needs to ensure that it's ready for whenever that next disorder will be."
In a statement following the release of the report, Merseyside’s Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy said: "We welcome the findings of this report into the policing response to the violent disorder that took place across England and Wales in the summer.
“The report recognises our officers ‘bravely remained at their cordons to protect the public and property’, and many were injured at the hands of those of threw missiles at them on 30 July in Southport and Liverpool on 3 August.
“Many of those officers deployed to protect the public during disorder in Southport had, little more than 24 hours earlier, attended the unspeakably tragic scene at the Hart Space.
“The offenders involved in the disorder had no regard for the families and friends of those who so tragically lost their lives, and a community that was still in shock and grief. To date – and thanks to the great work of partners across the criminal justice system – we have arrested 161 people in connection disorder, charged 112 and seen 86 sentenced to a total of 178 years and 10 months for their part in bringing violent disorder to our streets.
“It was heartening in the aftermath of that disorder to see the reaction of the whole community, and Local Policing officers, who pulled together to clean the streets, rebuild walls and re-glaze broken windows.
“As an organisation committed to constant improvement, we will review the report’s recommendations and will thoroughly explore any opportunities to ensure we are prepared for incidents in future so that everything possible is done to keep our officers and the public safe and protected.
“Ahead of the publication of this report, we recognised the potential for our Force to learn from incidents of this nature and scale. We began conducting extensive formal debriefs to identify what worked well and any areas we could improve, and they are ongoing. Along with the HMICFRS recommendations, we will ensure all those learning points inform our response to future incidents.”
Speaking with LBC last month, the Merseyside’s Chief Constable revealed: "It was an incredibly challenging time for Merseyside Police. One of the hardest nights of my career was being at Southport Police Station watching my staff being brought in one by one, being injured, some of whom had been in Hart Street on the 29th July.
"I was so proud of each and every one of the force during that period. ‘Injured’ and ‘traumatised’ police officers still out of action months after summer riots – LBC
"That behaviour was absolutely deplorable and just horrendous. I'm glad we've seen that swift justice.
"The investigations go on, we think we'll be investigating those offences for about another 12 months. We still have lots of CCTV footage, still have those people we need to identify, and we are absolutely committed to identifying those people."