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Updates: Riot And Violence In Tottenham Following Police Shooting

Staff Reporters |
August 7, 2011 | 9:04 a.m. PDT

Riots ensue in Tottenham following the death of Mark Duggan (credit Guardian)
Riots ensue in Tottenham following the death of Mark Duggan (credit Guardian)
42 people were arrested and 26 police officers injured following a riot in Tottenham, London Sunday. The riot was sparked after a Mark Duggan, 29, was shot and killed Thursday when London police tried to apprehend Duggan from a minicab he was in. 

Officers of Scotland Yard's elite firearms squad CO19 were following Duggan--a known offender--when he became aware of the tail and began shooting at the officers Daily Mail reports. The shootout altercation ended with the death of Duggan. The officers were working as a part of Operation Trident which deals with gun crime in African and Caribbean communities the BCC reports. 

Two days after Duggan's death, hundreds of residents of Broadwater Farm estate--Duggan's place of residence--gathered around the Tottenham police station in a peaceful protest demanding justice for the undue death of a respectable father of four. Violence followed soon thereafter. 

From BBC News

(Aug. 6, 2011 - 20:20 BST) The violence begins as bottles are thrown at two patrol cars close to the police station. One of the vehicles is set alight, while the other is pushed into the middle of the road before also being torched.

Unconfirmed reports say the incident was sparked off by a confrontation between a teenage protester and a police officer.

Riot officers from the Territorial Support Group and police on horseback are deployed to disperse the crowds but come under attack from bottles, fireworks and other missiles.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is currently looking into the death of Duggan has reported it believes two shots were fired by police and an illegal firearm was recovered in the scene. 

Soon after the start of the riots, looting began in nearby Wood Green. 

Those involved in the riots say this was an unfair treatment of the poor ethic minorities in significantly black population of Tottenham. 

"How many black people have to die around here?" an onlooker, Pablo, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I hate the police." 

Police have not provided information of any fatalities involved with the riot, but some have speculated the scorched shops may contain dead bodies.

 

Updates

Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011

Addressing the House of Commons Thursday for a special meeting, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said the primary role of the government is to protect its people and that a culture of fear will not be tolerated in the streets. Cameron continued to say the looting pandemic was not about politics or protest in regards to the death of Mark Duggan, but simply about theft. 

Since riots began in the streets of London five days ago, hundreds of people have lost homes and business in the city. Claims for repairs are expected in the hundresds of millions from damges to business and communities.

Despite plans to reduce overall budgets by 6 percent by 2015 in the wake of economic struggles, Cameron assured members of the parliament assistance will be given to those who have been afflicted and police forces will be kept up to fight against riots.

From the Los Angeles Times

To victims of the violence, Cameron pledged damage compensation, even for the uninsured. "We will help you repair the damage, get your businesses back up and running, and support your communities," he said. Claims are expected to reach over $300 million.

However, budget cuts in police services, part of the government's overall plan to reduce a huge deficit, would not be lifted, Cameron said, answering opposition questions to defer the measures.

Unclear as to how and where the funding will come from for Cameron's proposal, however, British Labour Party politican Yvette Cooper addressed the members of the parliament during the parliamental debate Thursday. 

From BBC News

1112: The 16,000 police on duty in London had relatively little to do last night, but staffing will be maintained at this level for at least another night, the authorities say. The usual number of officers on duty overnight is about 3,500.

1640: Yvette Cooper says the Met's deployment of 16,000 officers on Tuesday and Wednesday worked, but cost millions of pounds. The government must give some clarity about where the money is coming from, she adds.

In dealing with street gangs made up of "young boys, mainly from dysfunctional homes" Cameron said, he would seek assistance from U.S. police forces familiar with such violence, citing former NYPD chief Bill Bratton by name. 

From NYDailyNews.com

The prime minister specifically mentioned former NYPD chief Bill Bratton who has been rumored as possibly becoming the next head of scandal-plagued Scotland Yard.

In current count, 922 arrests were made in relation to the riots and police will now treat the problem as "criminality" rather than a "public order issue."  

 

Map from the Guardian of the spreading riot pandemic in the U.K. 

Rioting and violence spreads outside of London (credit Guardian)
Rioting and violence spreads outside of London (credit Guardian)



 

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