§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable for Merseyside concerning disturbances which occurred in various parts of Liverpool during the week commencing 1 August; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mayhew:We understand from the chief constable that the following incidents occurred between 1 and 7 August, inclusive.
On 1 August a group of about 20 youths threw stones at officers on foot patrol in a street in Toxteth and were dispersed.
In the early morning of 2 August a large group of youths gathered at Sir Thomas White Gardens, Everton, threw stones at a police vehicle, and one police officer incurred minor injury. The youths were dispersed by other officers.
In the afternoon a stolen vehicle was driven erratically in Toxteth, and youths who had gathered to watch threw stones at a police vehicle. The youths were dispersed. Also in the afternoon of 2 August a noisy group of about 100 people, mainly women and children, who were demonstrating against the closure of Croxteth school, threw eggs at my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment as he was leaving a meeting in Croxteth. Three summonses have been issued as a result of that incident.
In the evening there were two incidents in Toxteth. In the first, a stolen vehicle was crashed into road works. Police officers who chased and apprehended two occupants of the vehicle were attacked by a group of 30 to 40 youths, and two officers received minor injuries before the group was dispersed. In the other incident, a stolen vehicle was driven erratically and a rowdy group of about 60 youths who gathered in the area were dispersed by the police. The same evening, youths sporadically threw stones at police vehicles in Everton, and a group of youths erected a minor barricade at Sir Thomas White Gardens. The youths were dispersed by officers wearing protective equipment.
In the early hours of 3 August, a large group of youths threw stones at passing vehicles on a road in Everton and were dispersed by the police, as were youths who erected minor barricades at Sir Thomas White Gardens.
In the evening of 4 August, a large, generally orderly, group of youths who had gathered when a stolen vehicle was driven in a street in Toxteth were dispersed by the police.
In the early evening of 5 August, the police dispersed a group of disorderly youths at Sir Thomas White Gardens.
During the week, the police in Speke were intermittently called upon to deal with small groups of disorderly youths involved in minor incidents. During the period in question, there were 19 arrests for public order offences in Everton, 17 in Speke and 15 in Toxteth.