Police ‘prepared to deal with any situations that may arise’

The Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Terry Sweeney, has said the Force is ‘prepared for any situations that may arise’ in Greater Manchester following the riots in London.

ACC Sweeney described the incidents over the last few days in the capital as “mindless” and said there hasn't been any rioting in Greater Manchester since the trouble in London began.

He said: "I, like the majority of people in this country, am appalled by the mindless acts of criminality and violence that we have seen over the last few days.

"I want to reassure the public of Greater Manchester that there have been no disturbances or incidents of disorder or rioting here since trouble flared in London over the weekend.

"We are monitoring the situation extremely closely and are prepared to deal with any situations that may arise.”

He continued: "Should we be faced with any incidents of disorder or criminality we will respond in a firm and robust way that supports our communities' expectations and maintains public safety.

"We are working closely with community leaders to stand up for calm and together we can maintain trouble free streets.”

ACC Sweeney added that he wants the public to continue to support the police and their communities and speculative gossip is unhelpful and unwelcome.