Police must remain on high alert this weekend ahead of potential protests, Starmer warns
Sir Keir Starmer has said it is essential police remain on high alert this weekend after intelligence showed more protests could take place.
The prime minister, on a visit to the Met Police’s Lambeth control and command centre, said: “We have to stay on high alert going into this weekend, because we absolutely have to make sure that communities are safe and secure, and feel safe and secure.”
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson told Sky News on Thursday they had intelligence more protests were planned this weekend.
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Sir Keir said he is “absolutely convinced” having extra police officers on the streets “in the right places” over the past few days as well as putting rioters through the courts quickly has “had a real impact” after 100 planned protests failed to materialise on Wednesday evening.
The former lawyer also reiterated those who incite violence online will be prosecuted, saying the government does need to look “more broadly” at social media following the unrest.
“This is not a law free zone,” he said.
“And I think that’s clear from the prosecutions and sentencing today for online behaviour.
“That’s a reminder to everyone that whether you’re directly involved or whether you’re remotely involved, you’re culpable and you will be put before the courts if you’ve broken the law.”
Earlier on Friday, government minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News the message going into the weekend is: “If you engage in violent, thuggish behaviour on our streets, you’re going to be dealt with quickly by the criminal justice system.”
He said additional police officers continue to be on standby and they will make sure communities concerned for their safety will be protected.
Mr Thomas-Symonds also said the government is “ready to make changes necessary” to the Online Safety Act, which has not fully come into effect yet.
The prime minister is understood to have told an emergency COBRA meeting on Thursday evening the levels of policing and swift justice in response to the past week’s unrest has “undoubtedly” worked as a deterrent.
A Number 10 source told Sky News while thanking the police and wider justice system, the PM’s main message was on the need to “maintain high alert”.
COBRA – which stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A – is often called in times of emergency, like civil unrest or flooding.
Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said that those “intent on violence and destruction have not gone away” and police were “very focused on the weekend”.
He suggested patrols could be stepped up at lower league matches when football season starts amid concerns there could be flare-ups at fixtures.
While perpetrators had been “deterred” and “received a message from communities”, there are “many potential events still being advertised and circulated online”, he said.
“There’s no complacency at all in our mind that we need to be prepared for the days and particularly the weekend ahead. So the policing posture remains the same.”
Thursday’s COBRA meeting was the third high-level gathering of its kind this week following more than a week of violent disorder, which broke out in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
False rumours circulated online about the suspect, Axel Rudakubana, being an asylum seeker – he was actually born in Cardiff.
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Wednesday was expected to be the biggest night of trouble so far, with 6,000 specialist officers on standby amid warnings of at least 100 far-right marches being planned.
But the evening passed with “minimal disorder and only a handful of arrests”, according to police chiefs, with thousands of anti-racism campaigners instead taking to the streets.
Some rioters have already been jailed for up to three years as other suspects continue to face court over unrest across the country.
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The number of arrests made in connection with the unrest stands at 483, with 151 charges brought so far.
Those numbers are expected to “continue to rise significantly”, the NPCC said.
Sir Keir earlier told reporters the lengthy sentences have “sent a very powerful message” but “it’s important that we don’t let up here”.
“That’s why it’s very important I continue discussions coordinating with law enforcement, with police leaders to make sure we’ve got the right officers in the right place to keep pushing on the criminal justice response,” he said.