Cops appeal to public to help find 22 people

THE faces of 22 people police want to identify have been released as investigations into protests and violent disorder on the streets of Greater Manchester continue.

- JAMES HOLT

The force is probing a number of incidents across the region in recent weeks under Operation ‘Wilton’, ‘Spindle’, ‘Swanmore’ and ‘Underbarrow’, to haul those involved in the violent scenes of unrest, that have played out in the likes of Manchester city centre and Bolton, before a judge.

Officers believe the individuals pictured in the CCTV images may be able to help their investigation into several incidents across the region.

Protests, which often turned into violence in towns and cities all over the UK, have erupted across the country in the wake of the Southport knife attacks where three girls were killed.

Specialist online portals have since been set up by Greater Manchester Police for people to submit evidence over a number of incidents.

So far, 12 men and a boy have admitted their part in disorder in Greater Manchester. A 16-year-old boy found with a cricket and baseball bat, a man who livestreamed an asylum seeker hotel ‘to stir up racial hatred’ and a teenager who damaged police cars while wearing a pink balaclava are among them.

In Bolton, disorder broke out on Sunday as protesters and counterprotesters descended on the town centre. Fourteen arrests were made in connection with the violence and the first offenders have faced court in the days since. But officers are continuing to investigate the disorder with the hope of securing further prosecutions.