Sir Andy Cooke, Chief Inspector of Constabulary, called for police forces to respond faster to online lies as he said last summer’s riots after the Southport murders should have been predicted
Police should not be caught “off guard” by sinister online lies again, a major report into last summer’s riots concluded.
A watchdog chief said authorities must be much swifter in tackling misinformation on social media in light of sickening violence after the Southport tragedy. Sir Andy Cooke, Chief Inspector of Constabulary, warned that police chiefs cannot be “passive” when criminals spread dangerous hatred.
He said the dangers should have been spotted sooner following the murders of three young girls. In the hours following the sickening attack social media platforms were flooded with false claims about killer Axel Rudakubana, drawing thousands of thugs onto the street in an explosion of rage.
Sir Andy, former chief constable of Merseyside Police, said a “massive void” of information was exploited by those stirring up hatred. And he said that tech giants like Meta, TikTok and Elon Musk’s X must show “social responsibility” by not letting their platforms be abused.
He told journalists: “They (police forces) need to fill the information void that was filled during this disorder with so much misinformation. That misinformation and disinformation can go viral very very quickly. So policing cannot be passive when police safety is at risk.”
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He said it was “not acceptable” that police forces were learning as they went along how to deal with lies on social media. A report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said every force must assign resources to monitor and respond to online threats during major incidents.
Sir Andy said appointing police staff to do this monitoring would be a “good investment” if it helps to prevent similar disorder. He also called for communications watchdog Ofcom to be beefed up to order dangerous posts to be removed fast.
“There needs to be a better way of leveraging the big companies,” he stated. The report, published today found there was no evidence that last summer’s violence was premeditated and co-ordinated by a specific group. Most people who took part in riots lived locally.
It said that 147 children were among the 1,804 arrested by the end of January, some as young as 11. The oldest person arrested was 81.
The level of violence inflicted on police was “extreme” following the murder of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, the document stated.
Sir Andy said that neighbourhood policing will play a crucial role in predicting future risks. He warned there had been a “withdrawal” from neighbourhood policing in recent years. His remarks come as the Labour government promises to boost teams across England and Wales by 13,000 officers, with the first 3,000 by March.
The report said: “The police service shouldn’t be caught off guard again. It should improve its disorder-related intelligence systems and processes.”
Emily Spurrell, who chairs the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) said: “Officers responded admirably to a complex and fast-moving situation, something recognised by today’s report. However, mis- and dis-information played a significant role in spreading the hate and violence that played out on the streets of several towns and cities.
“I welcome the review’s acknowledgement of the challenges the police service faces in an era when the rapid spread of information online can have an almost instant impact on the ground. However, it is extremely concerning that the inspectorate finds forces have failed to learn lessons following previous incidents of widespread violent disorder.
“Technology is transforming society, and it is vital the police service keeps up with that. If our police are to respond to the kind of trouble we saw last summer, forces must prioritise investing time, resources and in the technology to identify those who might incite, promote and organise disorder on our streets.
They need to develop the capability to monitor online sources, recognising and acting on intelligence of potential violence.”
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