Two-tier policing claims are 'nonsense', MPs told

A constabulary main has branded claims of two-tier policing "nonsense" arsenic helium insisted his officers had been "entirely fair" successful the mode they responded to the summertime riots.

Cleveland Police's main constable Mark Webster told MPs "people don't privation to perceive to the facts" erstwhile asked astir the debate, which erupted amid accusations immoderate were getting peculiar attraction from constabulary due to the fact that of their background.

Violent upset swept parts of England successful July and August successful the aftermath of the Southport stabbings, fuelled by societal media misinformation.

Answering the Home Affairs Select Committee, Mr Webster said the "narrative" astir two-tier policing was "really unhelpful", adding: "I spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental sometimes it's nonsense, and it does thin to undermine."

He continued: "Without fearfulness oregon favour if you were progressive successful criminality, you were arrested, oregon you volition beryllium arrested."

He insisted his unit was "very fair" and stressed that radical were arrested erstwhile determination was "clear evidence" they were suspected of committing convulsive upset oregon different crimes.

People "don't needfully privation to perceive to the facts, and if it doesn't conform with the presumption that you privation to enactment crossed and you privation to impeach constabulary of two-tier policing, it does person a truly antagonistic effect connected my officers", Mr Webster told the committee.

Earlier successful the session, Mr Webster said forces did not person the "capability to constabulary the entirety of societal media", adding: "Clearly these entities are far, acold bigger than thing policing has got to offer."

Asked what was down the riots, Mr Webster said determination were "common factors" among the areas wherever unrest occurred, adding: "Many of them are challenged communities. The societal cloth is rather hard crossed galore of them and I deliberation that astir apt makes them reasonably fertile to beryllium either whipped up oregon for violence, possibly retired of conscionable wanting criminality, boredom, immoderate fig of antithetic issues."

He cited examples of radical being sentenced who had "been out, they'd had excessively overmuch to drink, they'd locomotion past and thought, wherefore not?"

"That's not a typical sample, but I deliberation overmuch of that desperation, this deficiency of hope, deficiency of state, thing to lose, I deliberation overmuch of that surely impacted connected the riots and the upset that took spot successful Cleveland," helium added.

The outgo to Cleveland Police successful tracking down those who took portion successful unrest successful Middlesbrough and Hartlepool connected Teesside has reached much than £660,000.

Staffordshire Police main constable Chris Noble told the MPs it did not "make immoderate consciousness for policing astatine each to amusement favouritism whenever we're built connected respect for the regularisation of the law".

He added: "If two-tier policing is bringing radical swiftly to justice, I'm not rather definite galore radical would reason with that."

The allegations were "not bully to hear, but we've got comparatively heavy skin", helium said.

Judi Heaton, main constable of Humberside Police, told the committee however captious a rapidly functioning justness strategy was to "nip this [the riots] successful the bud", adding: "We couldn't person a concern where, nationally, we were facing upset similar this, time in, time out, week in, week out.

"So actually, swift justness happening and being seen to hap was truly important."

Ms Heaton, said her unit had initially taken a "low-key approach" to policing the upset but had "never seen thing similar it" erstwhile unit and looting broke retired successful Hull.

Jake Richards MP told Ms Heaton helium was alert officers had "raised a fig of issues" including "members of the Chief Officer Group not being successful the portion successful the days starring to and during the riots".

In response, the main constable insisted they "were around" and had worked "continuously".

Ms Heaton besides told the committee she was "not aware" of officers, who had been injured during the disorder, being taken to infirmary successful taxis oregon idiosyncratic vehicles.