London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has promised that rioters who caused disorder across England this weekend will meet “a reckoning”, stating thugs will be getting a knock on the door from police.
What Measures Will Be Taken Against Rioters in England?
Cooper expressed that all those concerned would “pay the price for their crimes” across a full range of crimes from looting, arson, disorder and violence to provocation on social media.
She said: “So we should be clear, there will be people who were thinking they were going on their summer holidays this week, and instead they will face a knock on the door from the police.”
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Cooper stated: “We have seen truly appalling criminal violence and thuggery in some of our cities and towns – it is a total disgrace. These people do not speak for Britain.”
What Penalties Are Expected for Those Involved in Riots?
Police would follow the “full range of prosecutions and penalties” including prison penalties, long-term tagging and travel prohibitions, she stated, adding: “Keir Starmer has made clear he is prepared to take whatever action is needed to keep streets safe.”
How Will the UK Criminal Justice System Handle Riot-Related Cases?
Stating that most of the disorder took place this weekend, she voiced hundreds of arrests had already been made, with extra prosecutors in place, and courts on standby to assure “swift justice”, similar to after the 2011 riots. At an emergency Cobra conference on Monday, ministers would be “making sure the criminal justice system is prepared to deal with this”, she added.
What Actions Are Being Taken to Prevent Future Riots?
Cooper expressed there had been a strong policing reaction so far, with significant additional numbers of public order qualified police still available to be deployed if required, though she acknowledged it had been a “difficult issue” due to the “changing patterns of disruption and threat in different locations”.
How Are Social Media Companies Being Held Accountable for Violence?
Social media put the condition “on rocket boosters”, she stated, adding that there was proof of crimes committed on social media, in certain encouraging and promoting violence, which police would follow. “If it’s a crime offline, it’s a crime online,” she stated. “We can’t just have the armchair thuggery of people being able to incite and organise violence and not face the consequences.”
She expressed social media companies had a commitment to tackle the “shocking misinformation” and “deliberate community of violence”. There were clear requirements for them to remove criminal material and a responsibility to remove misinformation, but “sometimes they take too long”, she stated.
What was the response from the Opposition bench?
The shadow home secretary, James Cleverly, informed BBC News that he had visited tech firms in New York and San Francisco to clarify the earlier UK government’s expectations of containing disinformation. “There is action that’s being taken, but more needs to be done,” he stated. He also expressed the government “should have been quicker” and taken “key findings” faster in its response to screams taking place across England, including calling off Starmer’s holiday sooner and scheduling a Cobra meeting much earlier.