Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Birmingham hit by riots and looting
Monday 8th August 2011, 11:31PM BST.
Looting and rioting spread to Birmingham after apparently being orchestrated on social networking sites.
Shop windows in the city centre were smashed and clothes and mobile phones stolen. There was rioting at The Mailbox, around New Street and the Bullring.
One hundred people were arrested for various offences including violent disorder and aggravated burglary, and are currently in custody.
A total of 11 patients were taken to a number of hospitals in the City.
At first West Midlands Police said they had been made aware of rumours on the internet that a planned disorder was due to break out in Birmingham city centre.
Click on the image on the right to more pictures.
See also: Birmingham riots: The morning after – in pictures.
Were you in Birmingham last night? Call our reporters on 01902 319429 or email: newsdesk@expressandstar.co.uk
“We have not seen any incidents, but we will have extra officers on patrol in the centre and suburbs this evening,” a statement said.
The Bullring was closed and shoppers herded away as a cordon was erected. Hundreds of youths, many covering their faces with hoodies and scarves, gathered at the edge of the police cordon.
Shortly after 7.30pm, violence erupted. McDonalds, Jessops and LA Fitness were targetted initially, with bins thrown through the windows.
As police held their lines rioters smashed several more shop windows and attacked passing buses.
In the upmarket Temple Row area of the city, home to several designer shops, suit maker Austin Reed had its window shattered.
Looters left clothes racks and clothes strewn across the floor of the shop.
Outside several motorbikes were left overturned. Rioters descended on Adidas’ flagship New Street store.They broke through the door and people streamed in, grabbing anything they could lay their hands on.
Onlookers described thugs running with knives through the street and one photographer was set upon by a group who beat him and stole his camera.
Police tonight condemned the thugs. Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said: “We will not tolerate mindless violence and damage anywhere in the West Midlands and are working to ensure that the offenders are identified and caught as soon as possible.
“A policing operation is in place with extra officers in Birmingham to restore calm in the city centre, and protect local people and businesses.
“Our communities have made it clear to us that they do not want this kind of violence in their city and we will continue to work with them to bring anybody who commits acts of crime or anti-social behaviour to justice as soon as possible.”
13 pages of pictures and special reports in Tuesday’s Express & Star.
Most Commented
- Host of clubs chasing Wolves star Matt Jarvis
- Wolves confirm interest in Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson
- Chris Hughton still favourite but Albion will not be rushed
- Ray Wilkins in shock link with West Brom job
- Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson 'will have ideal grounding at Wolves'
- Bjorn: 'I'd love to play for Wolves'
- Danny Batth: 'My heart is still set on making the Wolves first-team'
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
this is unaceptable people acting like this taking it out on people who have nothing to do with what they are rioting about, just a bunch of people wanting to make a mess, i hope they all get arrested
Report abuse
I love how people want 60 officers to arrest 300 people.
Also it requires an officer to be taken off the street to deal with them which would leave hardly any officers to deal with the disorder.
The first priority of the Police is to show a presence and disperse as many of these idiots as possible and then they can think about detaining them
They are out there doing a job whilst some of you sit on your laptops passing judgment
Report abuse
Use more force… In my country they just get spetznaz out holding automatics. Works wonders I tell you.
This rubbish of just “controlling” the crowd… doesnt work. They just done whatever they wanted and went home.
Report abuse
its like the rise of the planet of the apes. If this was afganistan the army would be sorting it out, what about our streets get the army in there and the ones we catch should be sent down for a long time not slapped on the wrist.
Report abuse
What can the police do if they stop them then they are in trouble. This wrong if this was another country the police would use force and this would not happen. Bring in the army use tear gas it’s just too easy for the thugs this country is too soft we need tough response on the street not tough politician responses that amount to nothing
Report abuse
Two problems as I see it: the police are happy to form defensive lines and are ready for anyone who takes them on but they appear to be unwilling to actually stop these yobbers from committing crimes.
There have been too many reports of police just standing by and letting the Yobbers get away with it. The police have a duty to actively protect lives and poperty and to restore order. Suzanne Virdee from Midlands Today asked a police inspector why the police stood around watching these thugs looting Maplins. The police inspector said these thugs were being observed by CCTV cameras anyway. So that’s alright then!
Report abuse
Lets see you put a uniform on then. They are not super heros in forcefield suits. They are just every day men and women who are out numbered enormously.
And remember those you see on the news etc are following orders from their higher ranking colleagues. If their bosses just want to sit round and chat about it, the poor grunts just have to stand there and hold the line.
Report abuse
“Let’s see you put a uniform on then”……We don’t train to be a police officer….they do.
Report abuse
1 phill if arrested what sentence will they get shame on all governments and the pc brigade with their wishy washy liberal attitudes
Report abuse
This is rioting for the sake of it . It has no connection with the incident in London and whoever is doing it should be ashamed. Give the Police Force more power and let armed response deal with fools like this
Report abuse
I agree. This situation is now putting large numbers of people’s lives at risk. If it takes the army to restore order then bring them in. This is what happens when we kowtow to morons, who get fired up over the chance to steal, rob, assault and set fire to buildings on a huge scale. Why do they get away with it? Well, you only have to look at the media and the way certain MP’s deal with the issue.. you’d think butter wouldn’t melt the way they try and justify this completely mindless anarchy. The public are now at risk, so please, PC brigade, step aside with your logic, and let order be restored.
Report abuse
Sheer an utter thuggery is what it is nothing more. A lot of these Rioters are simply just kid’s. May I ask where the parent’s are? or what they are doing about this?
Police need to be armed…
Report abuse
No doubt the political leaders will be trying to lay the blame for this mess somewhere but the truth is that all of the three main parties have been responsible for the social and economic destruction of this country over the last forty years or so. From the closet marxists in the Labour party to the faux patriots in the Conservative party, the globalist neo-liberal policies pursued by all of these parties over this period of time have steadily reduced this country to the asset stripped,debt ridden, morally bankrupt shambles that it is today.
Report abuse
I absolutely agree.
Since all our industry was sold off in the eighties, the working classes have slowly slipped into a new underclass, a different breed of society has been born.
The streets are littered with ferral youths whose parents are the worst lay about no hopers this country has ever seen.
Time for change. Time for real industry and discipline to return to the classroom. Time for morals and responsibility to be a part of life and time to get these young able men back into work.
Do we have the leaders to do this….no. Once we have a party that will put a few wrongs back to rights, then it will get my vote everytime.
Report abuse
rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons that’s the way to deal with them, nothing else.
Report abuse
Totally agree, there is no place for this type of thuggery in this country. I would say bring the army in to help the police as well……but they have been cut back too much as well
Report abuse
No wonder i left that dump of a country for beautiful New Zealand can the last person leaving please switch off the lights if they are still intact that is .
Report abuse
This is unacceptable the police need to learn how to use a loaded gun
Report abuse
If only they had real JOBS! Then they wouldnt be invovled in this nonsense.
Report abuse
What a great shame, this country has given so much to people of all races, freedom, education, NHS to mention a few…….When Countries in the middle East are protesting just for freedom of speech. They are just mindless thugs with no respect. Police need to get tough and not worry about “European Human rights legislation”
Report abuse
Growing unemployment largely because this goverment allows UK owned companies to be sold (and jobs going abroad instead), increasing fuel prices, increasing energy prices, spending cuts largely affecting deprived areas…I think all this may be a cause for all the violence…With all thats happening in European countries and their debts as well as the US being downgraded for their credit rating…this is leading to World War 3!
Report abuse
This is what happens when you have got a society that has no respect for anyone or anything
Report abuse
This is what you get when you have a society that has no respect for anyone or anything.
This and previous governments have allowed this country to become the cesspit of the world .
Report abuse
We have a generation of ferral cretins, with no discipline, respect or perspective. The rot started years ago.
Report abuse
This is nothing new.. you can witness rowdy behavior any day of the week on Midlands streets, and yes, it’s as equally mindless as that which you see here. Whilst politician’s talk about wars overseas, this is the war the rest of us fight on our own door-step. This county is sinking under its own thuggery, and yet if you or I stepped one inch out of line TPTB would be on us like a ton of bricks. Our streets will not be safer until we get a proper form of government, one that puts OUR interests first and one that doesn’t bend over backwards to please the politically correct preachers in Whitehall.
Report abuse
Bring over the PSNI. They’re very experienced in riot control
Report abuse
its all these criminal minded people who go out so they can rob stuff , they took advantage of the situation happening in london , police need to be armed , because these thugs are also damaging homes buring cars ,destroying peoples lives ,its the governments fault for cutting down officers i say we need more officers , regardless at least we can sleep without worrying about being burned in our own homes , and those caught should be locked up for long time , as these criminal are the ones who make situations worse , and as for the police well it looks like if we get attacked we will have to protect ourselves , all communities must stick together to filter out those who are involved we also have a duty to do something to help ,
Report abuse
This comes as no surprise to me; Political Correctness is disempowering the police for decades.
They are becoming more and more afraid to carry out their work, I used to work for the police and have had to sit through “Respecting Diversity” courses where senior officers are only too keen to jump on the band wagon and begin regurgitating lame rhetoric regarding minorities like being excused to have more violent body language as it’s part of their culture – officers shouldn’t react apparently. All this conformity by the powers that be in order to get their next promotion, half of these people are so career driven they will tow the party line and the expense of everything else.
Now England is being held to ransom though its own liberalism and personal greed.
Unfortunately the more advanced society gets the more liberal and left wing people become (not a bad thing in itself) as they are sheltered from the realities of people with nothing to loose. There have, for too long, been too many cultural influences on the UK, influence of individual promotion, gangster culture, greed, the list goes on.
The ruling class turned its back on Enoch Powell for economic gain at the despair of the common man; it’s such a shame to see a once great nation collapsing in on itself – A nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre.
Report abuse
water cannon with hard to remove dye. offenders could be picked any time in the few days
Report abuse
The yobs should be given a lick of the cat ‘o nine tails and lash the skin off their flabby backs
Report abuse
City and Town curfews needed NOW. Give the Police unrestricted powers on a temporary basis. Bring our Army back to this country.
Imprison these lunatics for at least 5 years.
Civil War can arise from this situation.
RESTORE ORDER with whatever is needed.
Report abuse
Order is required in the short-term. However, there needs to be a fundamental shift in the direction and influences on British culture otherwise civil war will always be lurking in the background. This needs to be achieved by non-violence. We need to eradicate this political-correctness madness and people living in the UK need to adhere to British culture and a British way of life. This applies to pseudo-Jamaican gang culture “blud” (lol) and to other violent aspects and influences on our culture.
The main problem is that we are a mature liberal society which is constantly being dragged back to the Stone Age by external cultural influences. What these people don’t realise is all the things people enjoy about this culture be it freedom of speech or Nike trainers (hehe) wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for peaceful western culture. So please all feel FREE to contribute.
Report abuse
Stupid, thick, embarrassing idiots with no dignity, and certainly no pride for their home town. It’s like someone left the gates open at the zoo.
There isn’t a single reason for this to have happened. The human race at it’s nadir. Base level. Vermin.
If this happens again, I wouldn’t be surprised if vigilante gangs gathered to stop them. Clearly the police struggle with it.
Report abuse
100 people arrested……..
how many will be charged?
how many will be jailed?
Who thinks they will get a slap on the wrist and a small fine?
WHAT A JOKE YOUR COUNTRY IS.
Report abuse
Yes, ‘English Exile’ and aren’t you the lucky one! Rats and sinking ships springs to my mind.
Report abuse
This is the goverments fault
I’m a youth worker (till xmas when i lose my job)
The young people who are innocent who never done a crime are now gonna tarnished for years because of these thugs.
The way forward education,jobs,futures
I work with young people who have nothing (NEET) no job no education can’t read and come from poor backgrounds or are in care (parents druggys/boozers)
But we do have young people and young adults unemployed 4million
we live in a want it now world but don’t wanna earn it!
Want this sorted issue curfews
invest in communities- big society-more like Big Issues
Invest in our youth! Don’t turn your back on it!
Arrest the trouble makers and set up 24 hour courts and sentence them to home arrest and community orders to repair what they destroyed or set up National Service Bootcamps with the troops who are losing there jobs!
Report abuse
Ricky, there is some merit in your blog, but the schools can’t do their job properly because of feral youth, the Police can’t because of Political Correctness. National Service boot camps, brilliant idea, been saying it for over 30 years. You learn SELF discipline from BEING DISCIPLINED. The Army know all about that.
Report abuse
Do not agree this is not the governments fault. Most of the people in the riots range between 10 and 18. I have also worked in regeneration and supported young people in the workplace. This has nothing to do with economics at all. this is to do with opportunistic kids taking advantage of situations and new technology and abusing it. they were not protesting about anything they were just stealing and scaring people full stop, there was a mother in Birmingham with a 8 month baby who had to flee while the thugs charged to her, she had to flee down an ally…. is that the governments fault? I was bought up on the fact you are responsible for your own actions and these actions are unacceptable and should be bought to justice. I nearly lost my house last year because of things outside my control i did not smash shops up or rob people!!!!! there were even reports that they were attacking the childrens hospital!!!!!
I think it is time to end the nanny state we live in and set some harsh rules and corporal punishment. These people need to learn right from wrong and consequences to their actions
Report abuse
Of course its the Governments fault.
Can you not see how parts of society has declined over the last 20 years.
Ask yourself this, when was the last time you saw rioting without reason in this country?? Answer: never. so why now??
It is build up of no morals, easy benefits, no skills, unemployed parents breeding ignorant thugs.
Report abuse
This is NOT GOOD For Our Country!!!!!
Get the ARMY in to sort the Troublemakers out NOW!!
BRING BACK NATIONAL SERVICE FOR ALL SCHOOL LEAVERS WITHOUT WORK / AND THOSE WHO WON’T WORK WHO HANG AROUND THE STREETS.
DO WHATEVER IS NEEDED NOW, NOT WHEN THEY’VE WRECKED EVERYWHERE!!!!! THIS COUNTRY IS TOO SOFT ON YOBS. ACT NOW BEFORE TOO LATE!!!!!!
Report abuse
So this is down to unemployed, deprived and disadvantaged youth, who plan riots by tweeting on their PCs and texting on their Blackberry’s. Deprived and Disadvantaged???? I think not!
Report abuse
Totally agree with bringing back National Service (Bootleg camps where they learn discipline and do community work – in today’s technological and advanced world wars braindead yobbos are no use in a war zone).
If somone is in Full time work or education they should be exempt but round up the others (girls included)and let the army sort them out.
Report abuse
It is true the rules are smooth and they take disadvantage on government and they do whatever they like looting, burning, smashing etc! I think if it was in another EU country such Germany, IT WOULD NEVER BE LIKE THIS. Government’s legislations should go tough on young people’s disorders. e.g. young people misbehaves and smoke cigarettes, drugs etc in the public transporters and they EASILY GET AWAY WITH IT!!! Shame!
Report abuse
No excuse at all for this sort of mindless behaviour.Don`t tell me these animals are hard done to,deprived or anything like it.Depraved is the word.Now let`s see how our wonderful judiciary service handles these scum,give them maximum sentences,50hours community service is a picnic for them.It`s time that the Punishment is made to fit the crime.Don`t tell me anything is against their human rights either.
Report abuse
I agree with most of what has been said. What is happening to our country is appalling. How ever I do not altogether agree that it is the fault of any government. I seems to me that Parential responsibility has for many years now been a very low profile affair,(it’s the schools, teachers, councils,anybodys fault) Surely standards should be set at home. If these people want to behave like animals they should be disiplined likewise. I’m not in favour of a complete military state, (look back in european history) how ever in this situation it needs somthing to make these morons take notice. Enlist them in our national forces…errrr I dont think so.
Report abuse
the ones who are caught should be named and shamed whatever the ages
Report abuse
As a kid I would wonder how a civilised country like Germany could have voted in someone like Hitler.Reading some of the comments above,perhaps it is not difficult to see why.Beware a monster in Government is a thousand times worse than little monsters on the street.Cameron and Miliband spoke well today and hopefully our democratic processes will sort out the problems,deep as they may be.
Report abuse