Hyland Road Surrey

Major police clampdown as riots spread across London and other UK cities

A massive police presence has been established across parts of the capital in an attempt to crush the eruption of social anger that has affected areas of north and southeast London and is spreading to other UK cities.

Rioting in Tottenham on Saturday evening was triggered by the fatal police shooting early Thursday evening of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four, by Specialist Firearms officers.

On Sunday, disturbances broke out in Brixton, Enfield, Walthamstow, Islington and Oxford Street, central London. By Monday afternoon, riots were also under way in Hackney in east London and Lewisham and Peckham in southeast London. Disturbances also broke out in Birmingham, England’s second city.

Upwards of 220 were arrested in less than 48 hours.

The scale of the police response belies claims that they were “taken by surprise” by events. Not only were the notorious Territorial Support Group (TSG)—the capital’s specialist public order police unit—on standby as “contingency” during peaceful protests against Duggan’s killing immediately prior to Saturday’s riots. By Sunday afternoon, thousands of police reinforcements had been drafted into Tottenham and other parts of north London from Thames Valley, Kent, Surrey, Essex and the City of London.

It is reported, for example, that by 9:30 pm that day the “whole of Enfield”—just a short distance from Tottenham—had been turned into a “sterile area” by the Metropolitan Police and back-up forces from Kent.

“Hundreds of riot police arrived with vans and police dogs, charging at groups of teenagers who disappeared into side streets, smashing cars and shop windows as they ran,” the Guardian reported. Police on horseback charged any groups of youth in the area, while police helicopters were deployed overhead.