Police Officers Feared for Lives During Rotherham Hotel Disorder

Police federation representatives have stated that officers involved in anti-immigration disturbances in Rotherham “thought they were going to die,” as a new report criticized the handling of the nationwide unrest. On August 4, violence erupted at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, where officers encountered a volley of projectiles, including concrete blocks, chairs, and fire extinguishers, while attempting to contain demonstrators. While commending the “immense bravery and personal sacrifice” of officers, a recent report indicated that police forces had misjudged the “rising tide of violence” and responded “too late.” Steve Kent, chairman of the South Yorkshire Police Federation, reported that numerous officers were receiving injury therapy and counselling due to the “sickening hostility” they experienced. Over 60 officers sustained injuries when disturbances escalated outside the hotel, which was accommodating more than 200 asylum seekers. Mr Kent said: “There are some officers who I’ve spoken to who were at the London riots in the last decade and who were also at the Bradford riots in the decade before, and they said this was on a totally different level of the violence they encountered.” He mentioned that the federation was providing support to officers, but a growing number were reporting psychological impacts. “To face that prolonged terror that they faced for hours [the] officers I’ve spoken to thought they were going to die,” he said. “It’s now when they’re starting to reflect on what happened that we’re seeing the psychological impact come to the fore.” Nationwide violence commenced in early August, subsequent to the July knife attack in Southport, Merseyside, which resulted in the deaths of three schoolgirls. Police conducted hundreds of arrests in response to what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer characterized as “far-right thuggery.” During September, the home secretary requested His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to conduct a swift examination of the police’s handling of the disturbances. The report, once released, stated that police intelligence ought to have “more fully” taken into account several prior incidents that signaled impending unrest. Among the incidents emphasized were disturbances near asylum seeker hotels in Merseyside and Rotherham in February 2023, alongside violence witnessed during Armistice Day in London. The review noted: “Our assessment of these incidents suggests that the risks of disorder were greater than the police believed them to be.” Furthermore, the review determined that police leaders implemented a system for transferring officers between forces to enhance resources belatedly. It advised that the protocol should have been introduced on Friday, August 2, especially given it was the beginning of the weekend and favorable weather was predicted. Nevertheless, the system was not activated until four days afterward, resulting in an excessive number of situations where stationary lines of officers were assailed with projectiles, and insufficient personnel were available to apprehend instigators, according to the watchdog. Last week, Lauren Poultney, Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, stated that it had become “apparent very quickly” that the number of officers deployed in Manvers was “insufficient.” She informed Members of Parliament: “Knowing what we know now, of course there are things we would have done differently.” Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke commented: “We found the police decisions to co-ordinate and mobilise those public order officers nationally were made too late, and the police didn’t have a proper intelligence picture of the rising tide of violence.” He continued: “There were gaps in their intelligence functions, especially around the analysis of social media and other dark web media, and no one understood or could counter the emerging cause and effect of that misinformation and disinformation.” “So the police failed adequately to denounce it or mitigate against it in real time to deter or curtail the disorder,” he added. The review put forward recommendations for enhancements in forces’ capacity to address widespread violent disorder, their deployment of public order and public safety assets, and their provision of support for officers and personnel. Chief Inspector Cooke stated: “There is every possibility that similar violence and disorder could reoccur across the UK. The police service needs to be ready to respond.” The oversight body is scheduled to release an additional report in 2025, which will concentrate on the influence of social media on the disturbances.