Police officers injured during episodes of violent disorder in Merseyside “feared they would not make it home” to their families, the chief constable has said. More than 80 officers were injured as violence erupted in Southport, Liverpool city centre and Walton in the past six days.
The killing of three children at a holiday club on 29 July in Southport triggered waves of unrest across the country, partly fuelled by far-right activists and online misinformation. Serena Kennedy, chief constable of Merseyside Police, said some officers involved in responding both to the knife attack and the subsequent disorder were “completely traumatised”.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, died during the attack at a studio in Southport’s Hart Street, which left ten others injured. Large groups clashed with police in the town the following day, with bricks and other missiles thrown and damage caused to a mosque. More scenes of disturbance followed in Liverpool city centre and in Walton on Saturday, where Spellow Lane library was burned out and looted.
Ms Kennedy, along with Liverpool Council leader Liam Robinson, spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside during a walkabout in Liverpool, saying they were aiming to reassure visitors and business owners. Ms Kennedy said the force had “more than enough officers” on duty to keep people safe in the coming days and allow them to “go about their normal business”. But the police response so far had taken its toll, she confirmed.
Source: BBC
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