Police 'immensely brave' but forces were unprepared for summer riots - report
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Police forces need to be better prepared for serious violence and disorder, according to a review of the response to this summer's riots. The report also found police failed to realise the significance of a number of events leading up to the riots, leaving gaps in intelligence linked to social media and the dark web.
Violence flared across the country following the deaths of three schoolgirls in a knife attack in Southport in Merseyside in July. The unrest and disorder continued for several days. In September, the home secretary asked His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to carry out a rapid review into the policing response to the disorder.
The first part of the report, which is published today, said that officers had showed "immense bravery and personal sacrifice" throughout the disorder but that forces were unprepared for the scale of the rioting. It said the decision by the National Police Chiefs' Council to implement a national mobilisation plan on 6 August was made too late and should have been activated four days earlier.
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