Violent disorder investigation milestone as 200th suspect arrested

We have arrested our 200^th suspect in our ongoing investigation into the violent scenes of disorder in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth in August.

Brave frontline officers and police dogs were pelted with bricks, fireworks and missiles on 3 and 4 August when they responded to violence in Hanley and outside the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth.

Countless officers and emergency workers were assaulted and abused in the line of duty that day. Some of them didn’t think they would make it home to their families because of the level of hostility they were faced with. 

A dedicated investigations team have been working laboriously to review all of the footage we have from the scenes to act against those that subjected officers and our local communities to violence.

Today (Monday 30 December), we arrested our 200^th suspect in connection with the investigation. A total of 65 have been charged, and the combined sentence for those jailed for their part in the disorder currently sits at more than 75 years.

More than 12 people are currently awaiting sentencing and around 70 suspects are still on conditional bail while the investigation continues.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison said: “The investigative efforts to bring those responsible to justice have been unwavering and are continuing at pace into the new year.

“Our communities and officers simply did not deserve to be subjected to what they were in August. Many of the officers involved were deployed on both days and did not hesitate to put themselves back in harms way to protect their communities.

“We’re still working hard to go after those responsible for what happened. If you haven’t been arrested yet, you will, and we’re determined to keep taking action against the perpetrators involved.”

If you’ve got information that can help us, get in touch using the Major Incident Public Portal: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)