London, August 09: Embattled police struggled to contain a third night of riots, looting and arson as David Cameron cut short his holiday to chair a session of Cobra, the emergency co-ordination committee, scheduled for this morning.
As darkness drew in last night violence broke out in so many parts of London that it began to read like an A to Z of the capital. Peckham, Ladbroke Grove, Ealing, Catford, Chalk Farm, East Dulwich, Bethnal Green, Lewisham, Clapham and Croydon – where one person was shot and wounded – were all affected. In Hackney police fought for much of the day with rioters who hurled shopping trolleys, bins and pieces of concrete at officers, and set fire to vehicles.
Trails of destruction were left wherever rioters and looters congregated. Police pleaded for people to keep off the streets, and the acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Tim Godwin, asked parents to “contact your children” to make sure they weren’t rioting or watching the violence. The plea came amid reports that a boy of 11, suspected of burglary, was among those arrested.