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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/01/far-right-riots-keir-starmer-announce-new-violent-disorder-unit
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| Far-right riots: Starmer announces setting up of new violent disorder unit | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PM and police chiefs agree plans for unit that aims to boost intelligence gathering on ‘extremist troublemakers’ | PM and police chiefs agree plans for unit that aims to boost intelligence gathering on ‘extremist troublemakers’ |
| A new national violent disorder unit is to be set up to clamp down on rioters, the Guardian has learned, after far-right riots this week. | A new national violent disorder unit is to be set up to clamp down on rioters, the Guardian has learned, after far-right riots this week. |
| Keir Starmer made the official announcement on Thursday, having agreed it with police chiefs at a crisis meeting. | |
| Speaking during a press conference held after the meeting with senior police chiefs, Sir Keir thanked police officers who “stood up to intimidation and violence”. | |
| He said the meeting was held to “pull together our response, response both to the immediate challenge which is clearly driven by far-right hatred, but also all violent disorder that flares up whatever the apparent cause or motivation”. | |
| The unit will aim to boost intelligence gathering and sharing on looming trouble and comes after police were surprised by the scale of disorder on Tuesday in Southport, with further disorder in London and Hartlepool on Wednesday. | The unit will aim to boost intelligence gathering and sharing on looming trouble and comes after police were surprised by the scale of disorder on Tuesday in Southport, with further disorder in London and Hartlepool on Wednesday. |
| The unit is intended to improve the gathering and sharing of intelligence on known “extremist troublemakers” from all parts of the ideological spectrum. It is also hoped to enhance sharing of community tension indicators and the coordination of mutual aid, where specially riot trained officers are rushed from one area to another. | The unit is intended to improve the gathering and sharing of intelligence on known “extremist troublemakers” from all parts of the ideological spectrum. It is also hoped to enhance sharing of community tension indicators and the coordination of mutual aid, where specially riot trained officers are rushed from one area to another. |
| It is hoped that by boosting the number of specialist public order officers who can be rushed into an area of trouble, the number of arrests when violence breaks out can be increased. | It is hoped that by boosting the number of specialist public order officers who can be rushed into an area of trouble, the number of arrests when violence breaks out can be increased. |
| The unit will sit with the national police operations centre, which is part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. | The unit will sit with the national police operations centre, which is part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. |
| The plans were drafted by Downing Street, and a source said police chiefs meeting Starmer in No 10 on Thursday were in broad agreement. | The plans were drafted by Downing Street, and a source said police chiefs meeting Starmer in No 10 on Thursday were in broad agreement. |
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| The financing and details of the unit are yet to be ironed out. Consideration is to be given to the potential greater use of live facial recognition at places where disorder is expected or has broken out. | The financing and details of the unit are yet to be ironed out. Consideration is to be given to the potential greater use of live facial recognition at places where disorder is expected or has broken out. |