Impact of far-right riots to be felt for 'months and years to come' says justice secretary, as arrested appear in court

11 August 2024, 07:32 | Updated: 11 August 2024, 09:49

The justice secretary has warned of the impact of violent disorder seen in towns and cities across the UK over the last two weeks - noting the knock on effects will be felt for months and years to come.

Speaking on the long-term impact of the violent unrest which swept the country, Shabana Mahmood warned the effects will be felt for "months and years to come".

The minister's warning comes as nearly 350 people were charged in connection with riots and violent disorder across the country.

The unrest across the UK came in the wake a tragic attack on a Taylor Swift dance party in Stockport, which left three young girls dead and nine others injured on July 29.

Online groups and social media stoked a fire of unrest following the attacks, with Whatsapp and Telegram chats fuelling far-right misinformation and aiding in the organisation of violent group "thuggery".

Now, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood says the increased prosecutions and numbers passing through the justice system are put further pressure on courts and prisons.

Speaking on Thursday, she said the Government had "no choice" but to come down hard on criminality.

It comes as the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said on Saturday that a total of 779 people have now been arrested over the riots.

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Of those, nearly half - 349 people - have been charged.

Days after Labour's July election victory, Ms Mahmood announced the government had "no choice" but to release some prisoners early to avoid a "total collapse" of the prison system.

It followed Conservative justice secretary, Alex Chalk, announcing plans for some prisoners to be released up to two months early in March - a plan that was never enforced.

Ms Mahmood told The Observer: "The justice system has shown it can rise to this challenge. Should further criminality and disorder ensue, we will continue to deliver justice, until the last offender languishes in one of our jails.

"But we must make no mistake. Rising to this challenge has been made harder by doing so within the justice system we inherited from the Conservatives."

Ms Mahmood said there are "record Crown Court backlogs" and prisons are "close to overflowing".

"The impact of these days of disorder will be felt for months and years to come. They make the job of rebuilding the justice system harder," she added.

It comes as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Stephen Parkinson, said hundreds of violent rioters will continue appearing in courts across the country in the coming days.

He said the riots were not about "exacting revenge" but about "delivering justice".

It's accompanied by reports in the Sunday Times that the CPS is considering charging people with the more serious offence of rioting, which could lead to 10 years' imprisonment.