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BIRMINGHAM PROTEST UPDATE - 8.00PM
5 September 2009 - Updated: 13 October 2009
This is an update from Detective Chief Inspector Sue Southern, spokesperson for West Midlands Police, following today's protests in Birmingham City Centre:
Community cohesion has been at the top of our agenda throughout the planning of today's events.
We have held a number of partnership meetings with key community representatives and this has paid dividends in the support we have had from Birmingham city council in our application to restrict people assembling at the Bullring.
Our policing operation was designed to deal with uncertainty and be able to respond swiftly and effectively to whatever situation was presented to us. We have been in communication throughout the day with key stakeholders from the city and community representatives.
We will continue this dialogue in the days and weeks ahead to ensure community cohesion remains at the top of our agenda.
The chair of the city centre partnership has commented on how successful today's operation has been in enabling the busy retail area of Birmingham to carry on trading unaffected by events elsewhere.
In the past hour, a significant number of people have been arrested from the buses that left the Bennetts Hill area and these people are now being taken into custody across the force area.
In addition, during the course of the day, more than 30 men have been arrested in Birmingham city centre after sporadic incidents of disorder.
Officers acted quickly and robustly to quell pockets of disorder caused by several groups of 20 to 30 men. Police estimate around 200 people in total were involved in the trouble.
Shoppers in and around the Bullring shopping centre were unaffected by the disorder, with retailers reporting no effect on trade. A group of more than 20 men were arrested on a bus in Digbeth High Street shortly after 3.30pm on suspicion of violent disorder.
Officers also arrested a 41-year-old male for violent disorder in Waterloo Street. Disorder was limited to streets around the Bennett's Hill area of the city, during which missiles were thrown.
West Midlands Police in its planning for this event took the decision to exercise its Regional Collaboration arrangements to use officers from West Mercia, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.
The four forces use joint public order training facilities. This operational deployment has provided an opportunity to test that training and the effectiveness of the arrangement. This does not constitute 'mutual aid'.
Police were deployed across the city to deal with any outbreaks of disorder and contained them quickly to prevent further disturbances. Elsewhere around the main retail areas police reassured shoppers, residents and businesses.
Our planning stage included an investigation strategy. Officers will continue to work after today's events to identify any persons involved in the disorder.
If criminal acts or racially aggravated incidents are reported, then police will arrest and prosecute anyone found to be responsible.
Anyone who has information or anyone who was a victim of any crime during or after the incident today should contact officers at Steelhouse Lane Police Station on 0845 113 5000.
A YouTube update can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxzyjizp2JU, or viewed below.
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