Hell-bent on mayhem

CROWDS gather on Oldham street during Manchester’s looting shame. Picture courtesy Press Association

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Marauding youths rampage through city streets, smashing and looting
Police were faced with “extraordinary levels of violence” on the streets of Manchester and Salford from hundreds of criminals hell–bent on causing destruction.

Fire bombs were thrown at shops and windows were smashed as looters made off with designer clothes, expensive electrical items, jewellery, mobile phones and alcohol.

Youths — many wearing masks and hooded tops —marauded throughout Manchester city centre and Salford shopping precinct from about 5pm yesterday.

Some of those running wild looked to be as young as nine or 10.

The chaos ensued for hours and calm was not largely restored in both locations until around 1am as a total of 108 arrests were made with officers from Northumbria, Staffordshire and North Wales assisting Greater Manchester Police.

Riot police concentrated on containing the troublemakers in Manchester rather than seeking direct confrontation as they opted to take control street by street in a bid to flush out the offenders.

Beforehand, sporadic looting broke out across the city centre with gangs playing cat and mouse with riot police.

On occasions youths could be seen talking to drivers of cars on mobile phones, exchanging information, while they drove around the streets in what appeared to be co–ordinated manoeuvres.

Two youths used a stone slab to smash the front door of Foot Asylum in the Arndale Centre and more than 50 others followed in their tracks and rifled through the store for clothing and shoes.

Some items were thrown in the air in delight as raiders made off with their haul, only to be picked up by fellow looters. Another mob successfully broke into Bang & Olufsen in King Street as the store was virtually wiped out of its electrical items.

Two youths brazenly carried out a widescreen TV, while two more later returned to the store for a photo opportunity as one posed smiling for the camera in his balaclava.

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher’s recently opened fashion boutique in King Street — Pretty Green — had also fallen victim to the looters, while Miss Selfridge in Market Street was set alight.

At Salford Shopping City, just 200 yards from the police station, evidence of the ferocity of the violence could be seen.

Glass from shop windows and bus shelters littered the streets along with house bricks and rubble used to pelt riot police.

Two cars, one a BBC radio car, lay over–turned and burnt out.

Firefighters came under attack from missile–throwing yobs as they attended incidents at Lidl supermarket in Jubilee Street, which was extensively damaged, and at several shop fires in Fitzwarren Street.

By 1am riot police and vans, one with a shattered windscreen, lined one shopping parade, with only small pockets of youths wandering the streets.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan of Greater Manchester said: “Criminals have brought shame in particular on the streets of Salford and Manchester.

“We want to make it absolutely clear — they have nothing to protest against. There is nothing in a sense of injustice and there has been no spark that has led to this. This has been senseless violence and senseless criminality of a scale I have never experienced in my career before.

“This is nothing more than senseless violence with absolutely no regard for people, their property or livelihoods.

“These criminals have also attacked some of my officers and other emergency services who are simply trying to do their job to keep the public safe and restore order.” He said that offenders had been caught on CCTV and his message for them was “we will be coming for you”.

Manchester City Council said the city would be open for business as usual today with a clean–up planned at Piccadilly Gardens from 9am.

Councillor Pat Karney, the council’s city centre spokesman, said: “People in Manchester are very angry about what has happened in our city centre and it is time for us to stand together and say we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

“We have a very clear message for the criminal thugs who tried to destroy our city centre. You will not beat us. You will not win. Manchester is open for business as usual.”




SEVERAL police officers from Oldham were seconded to Manchester City Centre to help stop the mob disturbances.
Greater Manchester Police needed support from all over the force last night and earlier this morning to deal with the riots.

A local police source revealed: “All officers have been ordered to work 12 hours minimum today.”

The officer also reassured local people: “There was a few gatherings in Oldham, but there was no violence.”