The UK’s top prosecutor has said it is “deeply disturbing” to see children as young as 11 involved in “appalling outbreaks of violence and disorder across the country”.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson warned there could be lifelong consequences for children or teenagers who have been swept up in the far-right riots.
A week of violent riots broke out across the UK, with a wave of fresh protests expected on Wednesday, following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport that killed three young girls.
Mr Parkinson said: “One of the most striking features of the current outbreak of disorder is that many young people are involved. Children as young as 11.
“This is deeply disturbing. They may face life-long consequences: conviction, and a permanent record of their involvement on the Police National Database.
“This can limit their employment options in the future and ability to travel to certain countries.”
The top prosecutor warned that adults could face lengthy prison sentences and that he has been informed that the protests have had a “terrible impact on communities,” forcing people to barricade themselves inside properties.
More than 400 people have been arrested and 100 people have been charged after disorder around England and Northern Ireland, with the number expected to rise in the coming days.
In one frightening case hundreds of protesters gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham starting fires and throwing bricks at police.
In Belfast officers said they were investigating several racially-motivated hate crimes on Tuesday evening, including an attack on a young boy by a group of youths.
A boy aged 14 admitted violent disorder in relation to earlier disorder in the city.Police are anticipating a busy day on Wednesday as they monitor reports of at least 30 possible gatherings and threats against immigration law specialists, some of which had either closed or accepted offers of additional police protection.
Earlier, Sir Keir Starmer praised the “robust and swift response” of the criminal justice system, adding that he expected the sentencing of some of those involved to take place by the end of the week.
Approximately 6,000 specialist officers will be at the ready by the end of the week for the so-called “standing army” of police announced by Sir Keir on Monday.
These officers have been taken away from their regular duties to deal with ongoing disorder.
In addition to more riot police being put on standby, forces are also stepping up neighbourhood policing patrols, teams of detectives are drawing on CCTV, body-worn footage and making use of retrospective facial recognition to identify perpetrators of violence, and intelligence teams are monitoring well-known influencers and organisers for activity.
