Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Manchester City Council Leader issue statements after protests and unrest

This afternoon (Monday 5 August) Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Kate Green, Deputy Mayor, and Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, held a press briefing following the events that took place across the city-region over the weekend.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

A week ago, three little girls were murdered and many more injured in a barbaric attack in Southport. 

We should have been spending the last seven days focusing on their families and those injured, instead of having to witness the disgraceful scenes we have seen up and down the country. 

From the beginning, Greater Manchester Police put in a strong plan to deal with incidents of violence and disorder. That plan has worked, and in testing circumstances, GMP has maintained control throughout the weekend. 

We are grateful to everybody throughout the force at all levels – officers and civilian staff – for working hard to keep our communities safe. 

We are confident in the proactive approach GMP is taking. We continue to monitor the intelligence, and our robust approach will not change however long this lasts. 

I will personally ensure that GMP have all of the resources they need to maintain control of our streets and law and order in our communities. 

All residents of Greater Manchester can be assured that we will do everything within our power to keep you safe. 

And those taking part in criminal activities – they will face every possible consequence. 

Over the weekend, there were 19 arrests, and I can update the figures for you. There have been four more arrests today – so in total 23 arrests – and people are being brought before the courts today, and will continue to be brought before them this week. 

Many more are being identified, more doors will be knocked on and more offenders will be brought to justice.  

There is not and there never will be two-tier policing in Greater Manchester. 

Criminality is criminality. If you break the law, you will face the consequences. It’s as simple as that. 

Going forward, GMP have assured me that they will pursue every legal avenue to prevent a repeat, such as Criminal Behaviour Orders, stopping known and repeat offenders from entering our towns and cities. 

I want to finish on this point. 

This morning there were hundreds and thousands of people in our city region who will have gone out of their doors to work this morning looking over their shoulder. 

Just think about that for a minute and what that must feel like. 

Some of the people taking to the streets and shouting “we want our country back” in fact want to make it something it has never been before – a place where people fear for their safety going about their everyday business.  

We must not, and we will not, let them prevail. 

Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, Kate Green, said:

Let me also begin by thanking the officers and staff of Greater Manchester Police for the job they have done over the weekend to protect our city-region. 

As we’ve seen this weekend, policing can be dangerous work. Officers faced an exceptionally challenging situation and met it with bravery and professionalism.  

We thank them for their swift action, and all those who supported the effort to keep our residents and businesses safe across the city region.  

That includes our councils, firefighters, ambulance crews, Transport for Greater Manchester staff, our health services, and community partners.  

The Mayor and I have kept in constant touch with the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable.  

GMP, as you’ve heard, had significant resources in place over the weekend, and police commanders were quick to implement the legislative powers available to them.  

We are satisfied that those powers were necessary and were used proportionately. 

Section 34 Dispersal orders were used, which allowed police to order troublemakers to leave an area and ban them from returning to that location for up to 48 hours. 

Section 60 powers allowed senior commanders to authorise officers to stop and search anyone they suspected was planning to commit acts of serious violence. Those powers enabled police to confiscate weapons.  

Section 60AA powers allowed police officers to order the removal of face coverings, such as balaclavas, used to conceal identity. 

GMP used these powers across the city-region and they will not hesitate to use them again if needed.  

As you have heard from the Mayor, criminal investigations are now under way, and those who committed offences will be pursued and brought to justice.  

Our police are well resourced, well trained and well led.  

They police without fear or favour. As the Mayor has said there is no two-tier policing in Greater Manchester. 

I’m proud of the way Greater Manchester has once again pulled together this weekend to keep our communities safe.  

Behind the scenes, local leaders and public servants worked around the clock together. 

And while we’ve seen bad actors on social media stoking divisions, decent people across the city-region have been working quietly on the ground to calm things down and we’re grateful to them.  

Only by continuing to work together in this way can we defeat those who want to divide us. This is where we are at our strongest.  

And we will continue to engage with people across Greater Manchester in the coming days and weeks, to strengthen the bonds between our communities.  

Greater Manchester has a proud tradition of peaceful protest. What we will not tolerate is the spreading of fear and hate, or criminal disorder. 

Those who commit criminal acts will be brought to justice and there will never be a place for violence or intimidation in our city-region.

Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said:   

Following a weekend that saw a number of serious incidents of unrest in towns and cities across the country, we know that our communities will be feeling understandably anxious and uneasy. We would like to reassure our residents that we will not tolerate disorder in our streets.   

Manchester’s diversity is our strength, and it is now more important than ever that we support one another with compassion, understanding and solidarity.  

I am deeply conscious that some of our communities, especially minority communities, are anxious about discrimination, abuse, anti-Muslim sentiment and racism - much of which is playing out on social media, alongside misinformation and other forms of hate. 

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community and we will continue to work with colleagues at GMP to monitor local concerns and make sure that Manchester remains a welcoming and safe place. As such, there will be an increased police presence in our neighbourhoods, and we want to be clear that officers are there primarily to provide visibility and reassurance.   

We fully support GMP in taking robust action against anyone who is intent on bringing violence to our city. Swift action is needed to bring people to justice. And we would also like to thank Council staff, officers at Greater Manchester Police, and other partners who helped to keep Manchester safe this weekend under very challenging circumstances.  

There is no justification for criminal behaviour and the actions of the perpetrators undermine everything that Manchester stands for. 

We are proud to be a vibrant, tolerant and accepting place – and we know there is more that unites us than divides us. Now is the time we come together to show what this means.

There is no place for hate in our city.

Article Published: 05/08/2024 18:39 PM