Sir Keir Starmer said sentences for many of the far-right rioters convicted following widespread unrest in recent days will be heard by the end of the week. Police are preparing for another 30 gatherings planned for Wednesday night.
Officers in Liverpool and Durham issued dispersal orders to forestall potential riots, but Tuesday night was devoid of the violent scenes that have unfolded across Britain since the first riots erupted in Southport a week ago.
But authorities are monitoring further violent threats against immigration law professionals, some of whom have either closed down or accepted offers of extra police protection.
Lists of law firms and consulting companies have been shared in chat groups as potential destinations for meetings. Messages urged people to wear masks when attending.
The Law Society of England and Wales described such rallies as “a direct attack on our legal profession” and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood said threats against lawyers were “unacceptable” and that those holding such rallies would “join hundreds of others”. “We have already been arrested by police last week.”
The so-called “standing force” of police, announced by Sir Keir on Monday, will have around 6,000 specialist officers by the end of this week. These officers have been taken off their regular duties to combat the ongoing unrest.
In addition to increasing the number of riot police, the military is also stepping up neighbourhood police patrols, while crime teams are using video surveillance, body worn footage and post-mortem facial recognition to identify violent perpetrators, and intelligence teams are monitoring criminal activity.
More than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, and charges continued to be laid on Tuesday night. The accused are due to appear in court on Wednesday.
The violence was sparked by false claims about the identity of a teenage boy suspected of killing three girls and wounding several others in a knife attack in Southport on July 29. It resulted in shops being looted and a hotel where asylum seekers were staying being attacked.
After chairing the first COBRA meeting in two days, the prime minister told reporters: “This should send a strong message to all concerned that this will probably be dealt with within a week.”
But the prime minister faces accusations of “two-tier policing” with the far-right being treated more harshly than other groups.
Billionaire Elon Musk of social media platform X has been one of Sir Keir’s most vocal critics and the South African tech tycoon has used his website to make inflammatory posts.