Leeds: Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visits city after unrest

The Home Secretary has labeled the chaotic violence that occurred on the streets of Leeds as "bold criminal behavior."

Five individuals were taken into custody following a disturbance in the Harehills neighborhood on Thursday. The incident occurred when police were called to address a child welfare concern.

Clips on social media displayed large groups of individuals gathered in the streets, and eventually a bus was engulfed in flames while a police car was overturned.

Yvette Cooper spoke at the Elland Road police station in the city and emphasized that those responsible should face the consequences of the law for their bold criminal actions.

Ms Cooper stated that she had discussions with West Yorkshire Police officers and members of the local community regarding the measures being taken in response to the disorder and criminal behavior witnessed the previous night.

A lot of people have probably witnessed the bold and criminal acts on social media. It is crucial that those involved in these actions are held accountable by the law. The police have discussed this matter with me during our meeting.

When questioned about the video circulating on the internet showing police officers forcefully removing a child from a residence and the community's outrage, Ms Cooper responded by describing the events from the previous night as acts of criminal behavior. This included the bus being set on fire and the police cars being attacked.

"We have also observed some problems regarding false information spreading about the police having to deal with a complicated child protection case."

The police in West Yorkshire were alerted to a situation around 5:00 PM on Thursday by social workers who said they were being treated unfriendly while trying to address a child protection issue.

Officers at the location were also targeted while assisting social workers in finding safety.

The police mentioned that there were instances of chaos after the event, with videos posted online showing a police car being attacked and then flipped over.

When the situation got worse, a lot of people came together on Harehills Road and started multiple fires.

Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs stated that the officers were moving quickly to find and catch the people who are responsible.

He mentioned that there will be more police officers in the neighborhood in the next few days and encouraged anyone with information to share it.

He encouraged anyone with information about the people involved in the disorder to get in touch with our officers.

Similarly, for those involved in the criminal activity happening in Harehills, we will not stop our investigation. I strongly encourage you to surrender to the authorities while you still can.

I want to send the same message to the parents of those young people involved, urging them to get in touch with the police as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Leeds City Council has committed to conducting a swift examination of the event that reportedly triggered the disorder on Thursday.

The council and the Romanian and Roma Community released a statement together. They said that they will quickly review the case and collaborate with Romanian and Roma-led groups, churches, the Honorary Consulate of Romania, and other family members. This is to ensure the best possible outcome for the family and the Roma community as a whole.

They proceeded to ask for everyone from all communities to stay peaceful in order to prevent a recurrence of the upsetting events that occurred on Thursday.

The quote mentioned that the community is deeply upset by the events and we are committed to preventing any similar incidents from occurring again.

"These actions will cause lasting damage to our community."

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