A top copper has sparked fury after telling Sky News that they are delivering a specific “style of policing” counter-acts of violence, and suggesting they are using unelected ‘community leaders’ to police them.
Speaking the other night, West Midlands Police Superintendent Emlyn Richards reacted to the distressing scenes of weapon-wielding men attacking and intimidating journalists in Birmingham, describing the scenes as mostly law-abiding. He said: “The vast majority of people who attended that protest yesterday did so law-abidingly, and did so with the right intentions. There were just a small minority of people that attended there and were intent on causing either criminality, disorder or fear within our communities”.
“What we saw was a response from our communities, where they were trying to make sure that was policed within themselves, and trying to deter people from taking part in that disorder. Asked why the police had such little presence at the disorder despite weapons among the thugs, the police chief boasted that they have “really strong business and community relations and because we were aware through community relations that there was a potential protest because of misinformation we had the opportunity to meet with community leaders, business leaders, prior to that event to understand the style of policing we needed to deliver”.
The clip is now being held up as proof that the police are treating far-right rioters and retaliation attacks differently – so-called ‘two-tier policing’. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice raged: “Police boss admitting they enabled and were complicit in letting marauding masked mob control Birmingham streets. Utterly shameful. Two tier politics. Two tier policing. Two tier Keir.” Fellow Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe demanded “urgent change” from the police’s tactics.
He tweeted: “A remarkable interview on the Birmingham violent mob rampage. ‘Policed within themselves’.
“Why is one group seemingly policed in an incredibly different way to others? It clearly does NOT work. Two-tier policing is rife. That MUST urgently change.”
Leader of the Social Democratic Party William Clouston added that the admission represented a “total collapse of authority in front of our very eyes. A power shift has occurred which does not augur well for the future”. Meanwhile Mike Jones, Director of the Migration Watch think tank, blasted that the interview “should be a huge scandal”. “It’s a ‘smoking gun’ that confirms two-tier policing is a reality in the UK,” he said.