Several arrests have been made following the rioting in Leeds which saw a double-decker bus set on fire, a police car overturned, rocks thrown and residents told to stay indoors.
The West Yorkshire force has confirmed the unrest in Harehills was sparked after officers went to assist social workers dealing with a child protection issue and came under attack.
Police said there would be further arrests in the coming days as they vowed to “leave no stone unturned” in their hunt for those behind Thursday night’s disorder.
Officers came under attack during the unrest. Pic: Snapchat / Kardo
Amid concerns trouble could flare again over the weekend, senior officers said “a significant policing presence” would remain in the area and promised any further attempts to trigger violence would be met with a “robust response”.
It came after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “shocking and disgraceful” rioting in Leeds and gave his full support to police in “taking the strongest possible action” against the perpetrators.
In a statement, West Yorkshire’s assistant chief constable Pat Twiggs said: “There has understandably been a great deal of speculation, commentary and concern following the disorder in Harehills, Leeds, overnight.
“Our officers responded to a call from children’s social care at around 5pm yesterday (Thursday 18 July) after social workers reported being met with hostility when dealing with a child protection matter.
“Responding officers were attacked and helped children’s social care staff withdraw to a place of safety.
“As the disorder escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires set.”
A burnt out vehicle in the aftermath of the riot. Pic: PA
He added: “We continually assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large group.
“A decision was taken to withdraw these officers temporarily as it was evident that the police was their sole target.
“This allowed for further community mediation to take place in order to calm the situation.
“Police then returned to the area with fire colleagues to extinguish the remaining fires which were self-contained and didn’t pose a wider risk. By this point the crowd had diminished and officers were able to fully restore order.
“Throughout the night several arrests were made in relation to the disorder and further arrests will be made over the next few days.”
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How did one apparent incident spiral into such a level of disorder?
Investigators are currently reviewing CCTV and social media to identify those involved.
Mr Twiggs said: “We will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for all those who were involved and will work closely with our criminal justice partners to bring them to justice.”
Police remained at the scene on Friday
He added: “It is important to recognise the disorder and damage was caused by a criminal minority intent on disrupting the community.
“There will be a significant policing presence within Harehills over the weekend and future attempts to engage in crime and disorder will be met with a robust response.”
In the wake of the violence, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who represents a West Yorkshire constituency, said those responsible “must face the full force of the law”.
Referring to her statement, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “He [Sir Keir] would echo that the scenes that we saw last night were shocking and disgraceful. And disorder of this nature has no place in our society.
“That’s why he would like to thank West Yorkshire Police and the emergency services for their swift support.
“And the police have our full support in carrying out their investigations and taking the strongest possible action against perpetrators and keep the public safe.”
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Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has also said she was “absolutely appalled by the violent and thoughtless actions” witnessed in Harehills.
She added: “Such criminal behaviour will not be tolerated and I am in touch with West Yorkshire Police for regular updates on the progress of their investigation.
“I am relieved that nobody was seriously hurt in this incident – we will provide any support we can to the people of Harehills following the violence perpetrated in their community.”
Green Party councillor for Gipton and Harehills, Mothin Ali, described the scenes as “absolute mayhem” and called for the community to stay calm and unite after the unrest.
He said: “We were trying to shelter the police, act as human shields for the police, because they were there without helmets, without shields, being pelted with bricks and bottles, so we were trying to calm people down and act as a protective barrier.”
