Thursday, August 11, 2011

National Crisis U.K.Riots: Calm in West Midlands after previous disorder-11 August 2011

11 August 2011 Last updated at 10:55 GMT


Riots: Calm in West Midlands after previous disorder

Flowers Flowers were taken to the scene where three men were fatally injured

Calm returned to West Midlands streets after disorder as more than 1,000 police officers were on duty overnight.

Police have made more than 300 arrests since disturbances which blighted the region on Monday and Tuesday, with 48 people detained on Wednesday night.

Twenty-six defendants appeared before magistrates in Solihull, who sat during the night to deal with people arrested during disturbances.

A total of 20 of these were now in prison, West Midlands Police said.

It said they were in prison having either been sentenced or pending follow-up court appearances.

Magistrates sat from 19:30 BST until 06:00 BST to fast-track people arrested during the disturbances to answer charges including burglary, arson, theft and violent disorder, police said.

Six of those in court were juveniles, including a 16-year-old from Whitmore Reans who was remanded into secure accommodation after denying looting rings from a Wolverhampton jeweller, police said.

Peaceful vigil

A man aged 32 has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three men were fatally struck by a car as they protected property on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday about 250 people attended a peaceful vigil at the spot on Dudley Road, in Winson Green, where Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30, and 31-year-old Abdul Musavir were fatally hurt.

Ch Supt Phil Kay said: "Last night we worked closely with the communities of the West Midlands to appeal for calm.

"It is pleasing to see that these appeals were listened to and the streets remained quiet and peaceful.

"Our focus was on maintaining a high-visibility presence throughout the night and early hours, which helped prevent any further disorder.

"We have seen the benefits of social media being used responsibly to send positive messages about the situation in the West Midlands and to dispel malicious rumour and innuendo.

"We would like to thank the community for their ongoing support."


CCTV images


Police said among arrests since disturbances started on Monday was a 14-year-old Wolverhampton girl who was escorted to a local police station by an uncle who suspected her of coming home with stolen clothing.

She was arrested on Wednesday evening on suspicion of theft and remained in police custody on Thursday morning, the force said.

West Midlands Police had 1,000 officers on duty overnight compared with 400 each night on Monday and Tuesday.

Police released more than 30 CCTV images of people they want to speak to in connection with the disorder.

They have also begun the process of recovering "thousands of pounds worth" of items stolen by looters, executing a series of search warrants.

West Midlands Police Chief Constable Chris Sims said: "We promised swift, decisive action against anyone suspected of causing trouble on our streets and thanks to our colleagues at the courts we're delivering on that promise."

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