![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
The police inspectorate has published the first part of a review of the police’s response to the summer riots and finds that the response was effective and professional, but the national cooordination was too slow and forces have not learned the lessons from previous reports into preparing for violent public disorder.
The review was commissioned by the Home Secretary on 6 September 2024, just weeks after the disorder that spread across the country after the murder of three young girls in Southport on 29 July.
She asked for a rapid review into the policing response so that lessons could be identified. The review is in two parts, with this first part concentrating on public order public safety (POPS) capacity, capability and ability to mobilise to respond to disorder and the resilience of officers affected by the repeated incidents of disorder.
A second report will follow in 2025 that will look at the intelligence, social media and ensuing investigations into offences during this period.
HMI Andy Cooke.
“Officers displayed immense bravery in the face of extreme violence. It is to their enormous credit that they kept the public safe. Many police officers sustained injuries, and some were hospitalised. The violence officers suffered is shameful and unacceptable. They deserve the public’s full support.”
The Strategic Policing Requirement sets out how many police officers should be available to be mobilised in a 24 hour period and a range of specific POPs capabilities to meet local, regional and contribute to national requirements.
Speaking to eight forces where violent disorder took place, the inspectors found that the national mobilisation of POPS-trained resources worked well but the systems and processes that enable it “need to change.” The report also says that the National Police Chiefs’ Council should have mobilised earlier than it did. Operation Navette was the largest mobilisation of POPS officers since 2011.
Police forces deployed 1,622 police support units (PSUs), amounting to about 40,000 days worked.
“It was the first time the police service activated its mobilisation plan to create a national strategic reserve of POPS officers.”
At its height. there were 6,675 POPS officers deployed in one day. The national response was stood up on 7 August and by 19 August, the report says that the violence subsided and the operaton went into recovery mode.
“When it activated this plan, deploying officers in greater numbers deterred those planning to take part in violent disorder and helped police commanders to deal with the disorder more effectively.”
HMI Andy Cooke is critical of policing for not responding to findings in previous reports into public protests. He refers to The rules of engagement: a review of the August 2011 disorders and says that “the police service has missed opportunities to prepare for times when it has to deal with widespread disorder.”
Having assessed the incidents of disorder prior to July 2024, the inspectors suggest “that the risks of disorder were greater than the police believed them to be.” It goes on to say that there were gaps in the police service’s intelligence about violent disorder “and sought specialist support from government.” The second report will look at this in more detail.
The report recommends that national policing bodies should come together to create a plan and begin work to improve the police service’s capacity and capability to respond to widespread violent disorder and how POPS officers are mobilised.
Police officers faced violent attacks, with one POPS Commander quoted in the report said: “The vitriol and violence directed towards officers was extreme.”
“We found that the psychological and physical rehabilitation support forces gave to officers during and after the disorder was inconsistent. Officers responded positively when forces provided systematic and well-planned well-being support.“But when forces considered their well-being as an afterthought, they felt let down. This tended to be when a force hastily completed its plan to deal with the effects of responding to the disorder.”
In a third recommendation, the report says that the national policing bodies should improve the wellbeing support given to police officers and make better use of the National Police Wellbeing Service known as Oscar Kilo.
HMI Andy Cooke uses this report to reinforce his previous calls for more powers to follow up on recommendations.
For more detail, read the full report, An inspection of the police response to the public disorder in July and August 2024.
Read more about the wider response to the riots in Merseyside, Southport attacks showed learning from other major incidents has worked, says fire chief.
