More than 1,200 arrested in England’s riots
Posted August 11, 2011 8:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
More than 1,200 people have been arrested after days of riots and looting across England that quieted in response to a heavy police presence.
Officers raided homes throughout the country Thursday amid a warning from British Prime Minister David Cameron that order would come by whatever means necessary, including water cannons.
He recalled Parliament from its summer recess for an emergency debate later in the day and said he would look to American cities like Boston and Los Angeles for advice on how to fight gangs.
Meanwhile, courthouses sat through the night to process a stream of alleged looters and vandals, including an 11-year-old boy.
Many were charged with using social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to incite violence.
People reported minor disturbances in Wales for the first time. And in Birmingham police are probing a hit-and-run that killed three men trying to defend their shops from looting.
Cameron will likely face pressure over his planned police budget cuts, which would reduce the force by 16,000 over the next four years according to a recent report.
London police said they would keep up their 16,000-strong operation for at least one more night.
The lawlessness began on Saturday in the London suburb of Tottenham when a peaceful protest against the fatal police shooting of a 29-year-old man turned violent. London experienced three straight nights of violence, which spread to other parts of the nation.
With files from The Associated Press
