A significant number of those arrested in the Southport riots were minors, raising concerns about youth involvement in violent incidents
Southport: It’s pretty shocking to hear that one in six people arrested after the riots were under 18. This all kicked off after a tragic incident where three young girls lost their lives during a dance class.
The chaos erupted in the summer, and it was a real mess. The police jumped in quickly, making a lot of arrests. An investigation showed that out of over 1,200 arrests, 219 were kids under 18. That’s a big number!
Most of the arrests were for public order offences, but there were also cases of assault, theft, and even some for having weapons. It’s wild to think about how many young people got caught up in this.
Greater Manchester Police led the way with the most arrests, but Humberside had the highest number of minors taken in. Some police forces didn’t even report any arrests related to the riots.
Since the end of July, the total number of arrests has climbed to over 1,700. It’s a tough situation, and a spokesperson mentioned that they’re still looking into things. They want to make sure kids aren’t unfairly criminalized but also need to keep communities safe.
It’s a sad reminder of how violence can affect everyone, especially the young ones. The Home Office expressed gratitude to the police for their hard work in keeping the streets safe after such a tragic event.