Police have released 29 images of men and a photo of a woman they want to speak as they continue to identify suspects – 159 days after Hanley descended into anarchy. Trouble erupted on Saturday, August 3 as the city centre was swamped with protesters marching down the streets.
Around 100 police with riot shields and dog units responded to the chaos with large groups of men seen turning out around the mosques in opposition to the demonstrators.
The groups – some carrying weapons – then started to clash, primarily at first around the Darul Falah mosque in Town Road.
Now Staffordshire Police have again asked for the public’s help to identify the men pictured below as their major investigation into the disorder continues.
They have already made more than 200 arrests following the trouble in Hanley and then in Tamworth the following day – with many of those now in jail. A total of 65 people have been charged, and the combined sentence for those locked up for their part in the disorder currently sits at more than 75 years. Around 12 people are currently awaiting sentencing and around 70 suspects are still on conditional bail while the investigation continues.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison warned those that are yet to be identified that there time will come. He said: “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.
“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.”
To pass on details to the police, use the Major Incident Portal here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)