Police make further arrests as Thetford disorder continues

 

Police make further arrests as Thetford disorder continues

 

15 hours ago

Matt Precey,in Thetfordand Rachael McMenemy

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74g1gxvwlvo

 

More arrests have been made over disorder linked to anti-immigration protests that saw crowds attempt to storm the homes of suspected asylum seekers and a police officer "seriously bitten".

 

Asylum seekers were removed from properties in Thetford on Thursday for their own safety, Norfolk Police said.

 

Two men in their 40s were arrested as protests in the market town continued for a third night, and a woman was arrested on Friday in relation to an assault on a police officer, bringing the total number detained to six.

 

Protesters attempted to enter homes where they believed asylum seekers were living on Tuesday and Wednesday night, when officers were also "subjected to significant aggression".

 

Witnesses reported rocks and eggs being thrown and chants of "we want them out" during protests on Clover Way involving up to 200 people on Wednesday night.

 

A male officer was struck with a rock and a female officer was seriously bitten, breaking the skin, the force said.

 

Both officers were discharged from hospital and Norfolk's Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: "The female officer who was bitten on the arm was back on duty last night in Thetford — just fantastic, fantastic people doing a really difficult job.

 

"I would ask the people that go out to protest to realise that we are just humans in uniform. We're trying to keep their community safe and actually while we're policing these protests, we're not dealing with 999 calls, we're not stopping crime."

 

The disorder comes amid local disquiet over proposals to convert a former military base just over the border in Suffolk, RAF Barnham, into asylum seeker accommodation for up to 3,750 people.

 

The chief constable urged the public not to make assumptions and said Thetford residents were "concerned for their own safety".

 

"This is people's lives we're talking about," he told the BBC. "This is human beings we're talking about and we ask the public that are protesting just to think about that for a moment."

 

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told reporters: "There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for violence and thuggery to be directed to anyone in our society, whether that's people seeking sanctuary in Britain or indeed the police that are trying to maintain public order.

 

"This government is taking action to deal with the legitimate concerns that people have around immigration, particularly the challenges around small boats.

 

"There are people who have legitimate concerns who know how to voice them and I don't want those people conflated with the violent thugs we've seen on our streets, who seem to suggest on one hand they're concerned about public safety and public order in relation to asylum seekers, while at the same time going out and breaking the law as violent racist thugs."

 

 

Residents who did not want to be named have told the BBC about growing disquiet over the issue of housing.

 

There is resentment at the perception that asylum seekers are getting free accommodation in an area where young people are struggling to get their own homes.

 

There are also concerns about the perceived safety of women and girls, specifically around single adult men arriving and living in houses in multiple occupation (HMO).

 

People explained they had been "kept in the dark" and said they have not been consulted on the issue.

 

The average cost of housing an asylum seeker for one night in private-rented accommodation is £23.25, and £144 in a hotel - while subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 for each person per week.

 

Serco, a company which has a contract with the government to find properties that can be used for dispersal accommodation, told the BBC it was not able to comment on the number of asylum seekers or their locations in Thetford for safety reasons.

 

"We've been working closely with the Home Office and police to ensure that appropriate safeguarding measures are in place," a Serco spokesperson said.

 

"Such measures are under constant review, and we will continue to monitor the situation.

 

"We are aware of allegations relating to how address information has been made public and are currently investigating."

 

'Some people have crossed the line'

There was a heavy police presence in the residential area of Canterbury Way on Thursday night.

 

Policing powers were stepped up, with face coverings banned and officers permitted to ask anyone suspected of anti-social behaviour to leave the area. These extra powers were granted to last into Friday night.

 

Twelve dispersal orders have so far been issued under Section 35 powers, directing individuals to leave the area with the aim of preventing further disorder and securing public safety.

 

Nearby police forces, including Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, provided support to officers.

 

The attacks on police followed unrest on Tuesday in St John's Way, Bracken Road and Elm Road, when properties were damaged, windows smashed and fences broken, and people also attempted to break into a residential property.

 

Sanford told the BBC the third consecutive night of disorder on Thursday had been "calmer".

 

However, he said officers would remain for as long as needed and violence would not be tolerated.

 

He said: "Some people have crossed the line [into] criminality, attacking police officers is just completely unacceptable.

 

"Where that occurs we will respond strongly and robustly."

 

Appealing to those involved, he said: "We go into the weekend prepared for anything, but hoping that what we have is calm.

 

"My appeal today is for calm, decency and tolerance — recognising that there are legitimate concerns in the area at the moment, but let's deal with it in the right way."

 

He said he expected that number of arrests to increase as camera footage from the scenes was examined more closely.

 

Norfolk Police attended unrest at three addresses in Thetford on Tuesday and the disorder continued the following night

 

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence on Wednesday afternoon following Tuesday's disorder. He was released and issued with a conditional caution.

 

In the early hours of Thursday, two further arrests were made following Wednesday's unrest.

 

One man aged in his 40s remains in custody, and a 68-year-old man from Thetford has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon, namely a wooden bat.

 

Glass panes on a patio and door were shattered at another property

 

Witnesses also claimed the police response on Wednesday was "heavy-handed" and a woman on a mobility scooter had been pepper-sprayed.

 

In response, the police said Pava spray was "deployed proportionately" in response to a person's behaviour in the crowd.

 

Sanford refuted any suggestions of excessive force by officers.

 

The Labour MP for South West Norfolk, Terry Jermy, said the unrest had "put Thetford back decades" after years of trying to improve the town's reputation.

 

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, he said: "It's been awful the last few nights, it's been terrifying for many Thetford residents."

 

He said he had been made aware of properties being "pelted with eggs" on Thursday and said the town was "on edge".

 

He said the violence was "scaring and terrifying people who live in Thetford, particularly people from minority ethnic communities who are contacting me terrified that they are going to be misidentified as an asylum seeker and attacked".

 

He urged fellow politicians to "call out" the violent protests and assaults of police officers.

 

Jermy has previously called on the Home Office to end "secrecy and confusion" around plans to house more asylum seekers in former military barracks – including at RAF Barnham, near Thetford.

 

The town's mayor, Vic Peters, said he supported peaceful protests but condemned "willful disregard of the law".

 

Commenting as an individual and not on behalf of the town council, he said council staff had been subjected to abuse and intimidation and councillors have been verbally abused in the past week.

 

'Spirited'

Scott Hussey, a Reform councillor for the nearby Brecks division on Norfolk County Council, said a "peaceful protest" had started at the town's police station on Wednesday night before it moved to Clover Way.

 

He described the protest as "spirited" and said there had been "some skirmishes" but said he saw no violence.

 

He accused the Home Office of "opening a number of these HMOs across Thetford" and "trying to rush through the site for asylum seekers at Barnham".

 

A Home Office spokesperson condemned the behaviour, warning that "anyone taking part in this criminal activity will face the full force of the law".

 

They acknowledged concerns about immigration in Thetford but condemned the violence of some protesters.

 

A spokesperson said: "The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and the concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms."