Police Officers Recount Summer Riot Violence, Including Colleague’s Heart Attack Amid Brick Attacks

Chief Inspector Zoe Kelsey described the experience, stating, “It’s like being in a warzone – but you’ve just got a shield and stick.” She was among the officers at the core of the Middlesbrough riot, which erupted following the fatal knife attack on three girls in Southport earlier this year. Her unit encountered volleys of bricks, with protesters attempting to ignite them, and one officer suffered a heart attack. Having served as a police officer for over 25 years, Ch Insp Kelsey noted that the nationwide riots during the summer challenged her belief in humanity. She remarked, “We’re humans too, I’m a mam, a daughter, and a wife. They didn’t care about that and just thought it’d be fun to cause harm to cops.” For the first time, front-line officers have openly discussed the aggression they encountered and the lasting trauma it has inflicted. Several members of Cleveland Police informed the BBC that they feared an officer might have been killed. This disclosure coincides with warnings issued by police chiefs to MPs this week during a Parliamentary select committee, indicating that the repercussions of the riots on their budgets, officer well-being, and caseloads will persist for many months. On 4 August in Middlesbrough, during a scorching summer afternoon, individuals gathered for what was intended to be a peaceful demonstration and procession after the fatal stabbings of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Bebe King. However, the event rapidly escalated into widespread unrest, fueled by false information circulating on social media that identified the suspect as an illegal migrant. Rioters across the UK exploited this tragedy to assault police, vandalize businesses, and set vehicles ablaze. Approximately 1,000 people assembled in Middlesbrough, with only 125 officers present. According to the latest government figures released on 2 December, a total of 916 individuals in England and Wales have either appeared or are scheduled to appear before the courts in connection with the national disturbance. Ch Insp Kelsey led a contingent of riot-trained officers, but they were outnumbered and subjected to intense pressure. She recounted, “I was screaming hold the line, hold the line,” adding, “We just couldn’t hold the line they were just pushing forward with such force.” As they advanced toward the town centre, groups fragmented, moving into residential areas, where they damaged homes and cars, and looted stores. “You talk about the thin blue – well it was very thin that day, it really was. It was just mass disorder.” She further stated, “They saw that we represented law and order, and that’s what they were fighting.” PC Glen Teeley was also present that day, having coordinated with protest organizers and positioned himself within the crowd as the march commenced. Despite over a decade of policing disturbances at EDL marches and England football matches, he stated he had never witnessed anything comparable to the Middlesbrough riot. PC Teeley reported, “There was people offering money to burn police cars out, rallying calls of we need to arm ourselves and if the police try to stop us, we’re going to go over the top of them.” Hundreds of additional officers were dispatched from nearby forces, increasing the personnel on the ground. Inspector Adrian Dack commented, “It was just absolute carnage.” CCTV footage depicted shops being plundered, and YouTube videos showed rioters attempting to set officers on fire using ignited wheelie bins. Insp Dack observed that crowds cheered each time a wheelie bin was set alight and hurled at them. Ch Insp Kelsey expressed profound distress at watching rioters revel in the harm inflicted upon her colleagues. She remarked, “When someone got a brick here to their head, it was like ‘Yay’. I don’t think they stopped to think that we were humans behind that uniform”. After more than two hours of continuous clashes in the summer heat, clad in full riot gear without breaks or sustenance, one officer collapsed. An immediate alarm sounded on police radios. Ch Insp Kelsey recalled, “We heard someone say something about a heart attack,” and “a couple of minutes later, I heard the cop’s name… And he was one of my cops on my van.” The collapsed officer was one of Insp Dack’s closest friends. He stated, “He’s on the floor, he’s laying in his pants and socks and there’s two officers there sort of working on him. And at that point my heart sinks.” Ch Insp Kelsey was among those attending to him, saying, “I was just holding his hand and saying ‘you’re going to be alright, you’re alright.’ It was awful. I didn’t think he was going to make it”. Paramedics had to navigate through the disorder to reach the officer. Insp Dack noted, “but they came straight into the officer and started getting him right,” adding, “my mind had gone, I would say, for that short period of time”. Ch Insp Kelsey stated that as soon as her colleague was in the ambulance, she had to rejoin the line of confrontation. “That night I went home I couldn’t sleep at all. I didn’t know if he was dead or alive.” The colleague of Ch Insp Kelsey and Insp Dack received hospital treatment and is currently recovering. Cleveland Police indicated that, similar to other parts of the country, much of the disturbance was live-streamed on social media. Ch Insp Kelsey observed, “When I looked to my left, there were about 200 people just filming us.” She added, “Hundreds of people thought this was highly entertaining, like it was some kind of spectator sport. They just wanted to see the reaction on police officers’ faces. It’s like going back hundreds of years to like, ancient Rome.” Footage from a TikTok account depicted a roadblock established at a busy intersection, where a man questioned drivers about their race before allowing them to proceed. This rioter has since been incarcerated for violent disorder. The police force estimates that the damage caused exceeded £750,000. PC Teeley, who characterized rioters as “parasites,” stated, “I think they were just on a rampage,” and added, “These people have