Out in force

Police in London flooded city streets Friday evening in an effort to prevent a weekend repeat of England's worst riots in decades.

Some 16,000 officers - instead of the usual 2,500 - were to remain on duty, despite a period of relative calm.

"We will be sustaining the numbers for a period of time," said British Home Secretary Theresa May. "We have had some quieter nights but we are not complacent about that. The police will maintain their tough arrest policy, their presence on the streets."

In other cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham, high levels of policing were also being maintained amid fears that weekend drinking could reignite violence outside the capital.

The week's unrest claimed its fifth life late Thursday with the death of 68-year-old Richard Mannington Bowes. A 22-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the death, due to injuries. The victim was beaten after trying to tackle a fire started by rioters.

Courts sit through the night

More than 1,500 people have now been arrested across the country, with courts sitting for a third consecutive night on Thursday to deal with the backlog of cases. Some two-thirds of defendants connected with the riots have been remanded into custody.

Police had earlier in the day begun to raid the homes of those thought to be involved in the violence that saw shops looted and homes burnt down.

Three men have also been arrested in connection with the deaths of three men of South Asian origin, who were run over by a speeding car during disturbances in Birmingham while they were trying to defend a petrol station from the rioters on Tuesday night.

Dispute deepens over tactics

Meanwhile, the dispute between politicians and the police has deepened following condemnation of the initial response to the riots, described by Prime Minister David Cameron as "inadequate."

Cameron cut short his holiday in response to the crisis, initially saying that "simply far too few police were deployed onto the street."

Police insisted that they, rather than the government, had put into force the relatively successful tactic of "surging" - drafting a large number of officers into affected cities.

Cameron risked further confrontation with police by inviting former New York police commissioner Bill Bratton to act as a consultant to British police on preventing street violence, it was revealed on Saturday.

Birmingham police on Friday set up large mobile screens displaying footage of the riots, encouraging people to report individuals they recognized.

Tough measures proposed

Britain unveiled proposals for tough anti-riot measures on Thursday, including giving the police powers to order youths to remove face coverings.

It was also suggested that people found to be involved could have access to Internet social networking websites withdrawn.

The first riots began last Saturday, following the shooting of a 29-year-old man in north London. The unrest led a wave of copycat violence on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, not thought to be linked with the initial shooting.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Martin Kuebler