Action over rioting was 'exemplar' for country

THE way Plymouth dealt with violent unrest on the streets in the summer is an exemplar to the rest of the country, according to police and crime commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez.

- ALISON STEPHENSON

She praised the city council's action in taking preventative measures before the incident on Monday 5 August when anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters confronted each other in Royal Parade.

Plymouth was one of 27 towns and cities where riots and demonstrations were held, fuelled by false rumours that the suspect for killing three children in a knife attack in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Speaking at the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel, the commissioner said the civil unrest in the city, policed by 150 officers with riot shields, was mild compared to other locations around the country because "the community did not want to tolerate what was going to happen".