| Advertisement |
LONDON, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- London, saturated with 16,000 police officers, was quieter Tuesday night but a fourth day of rioting went on in other British cities, authorities said. Police said fires, marauding gangs, looting, confrontations and arrests were reported in Birmingham, Manchester, Salford, Wolverhampton, Nottingham and Leicester, the BBC reported.
Advertisement
About 500 police officers were on the streets in central Birmingham Tuesday night.
In London, where the number of arrests has totaled nearly 700 and 111 officers had been injured, police issued a list of "most wanted" suspects from the disturbances during the last few days as part of the force's "Operation Withern," The Daily Telegraph reported.
"As well as the many arrests and charges the [Operation Withern] team is working hard to identify suspects," Cmdr. Simon Foy said. "Those who have or intend to go out and commit violent, criminal acts should be warned. We will have photographs and evidence that we will use to identify you and bring you to justice."
Reports from across England indicated gangs of youths looted businesses, set cars and homes ablaze and confronted police. Witnesses reported shops closing early and some areas in London and elsewhere were under a virtual lockdown.
Authorities said 20 people had been arrested in Wolverhampton, 35 in Liverpool, 47 in Manchester and Salford, 138 in Birmingham and 229 across the West Midlands region.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said the use of plastic bullets would be "considered carefully" if the situation warranted.
While British authorities have never used the tactic in riot situations before, Kavanagh said "that does not mean we are scared of using any tactic."
Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin ruled out calling in the army. However, The Daily Telegraph reported the Army's emergency infantry battalion, known as the Spearhead Lead Element, was put on standby.
The Church of England issued a prayer about the riots, and Catholic Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster urged Catholics to pray for the victims and for "those who, at this time, are being tempted into the ways of violence and theft," the Telegraph said.
The night before, hooligans in London attacked an elderly man who was trying to put out a fire in a trash bin, a witness told the Telegraph. They left him clinging to life.
''It was quite a grave assault and his condition is causing us some concern," Scotland Yard's Foy said.
Journalists covering the situations also came under attack, media reported. One television cameraman in London said he had to clear out because he was attacked by a gang as they looted a high-end casual clothing store.
Croydon residents, reeling from Monday's destruction, have expressed their anger about the rioters.
Jon Davis, 32, who saw windows in his house smashed by rioters and then watched some houses in his neighborhood burn, told the Telegraph, "Why are there so many kids who have no ambition but to be horrible, criminal people that don't want to do anything other than cause misery for others?"
The "real issue" for people Tuesday was whether they would be secure in their homes, Labor Party lawmaker Tom Watson of West Bromwich East.
"I want to make sure there is adequate police cover tonight so we don't get any more incidents like this happening in the dead of night," he told Sky News. "I would hope that the prime minister [David Cameron] is dedicating all his time to it. I'm sure he is and I'm sure he's going to get the support of the leaders of other parties."
Cameron, who cut short his vacation in response to the "sickening scenes," vowed to restore order and called Parliament back into session Thursday, a move Watson noted sent a "very clear message that these people are going to be dealt with."
The Association of British insurers said Tuesday the cost of the damage had already hit $163.1 million, the Telegraph reported.
The unrest began Saturday after a peaceful protest in London's Tottenham neighborhood over the fatal shooting of a man by police.
Scotland Yard said a 26-year-old man found shot in a car in Croydon during rioting in the south London town died at a hospital.
France, Austria and Italy issued travel advisories warning their citizens to use caution when visiting Britain, especially if they're going to city centers at night.
China questioned whether London could provide adequate protection during next year's Summer Olympics, a comment dismissed by British officials, the Telegraph said.
Police in Manchester warned people to stay away from the city's downtown area because of the unrest. The police said a Wigan man was arrested on suspicion of using social media to incite disorder.
The Telegraph reported London area residents have begun forming human chains to defend their homes.
"People were still looking on and taking pictures but we weren't letting anyone in a mask or hood through," Clapham Junction resident John Comyn said. "Whenever people tried, people in the line rounded on them and they would turn back. This happened fairly regularly, in fairly small groups."
Labor Party leader Ed Miliband, who spent the afternoon touring areas of destruction in Peckham, said there was "no excuse for the violence and intimidation of people ... . That can never be excused, that can never be justified."
Restoring order was the immediate priority, Miliband said.
"We can't allow some areas of London to be essentially no-go areas where people feel frightened to go on the streets," he said.
