26 police officers reported hurt in north London riots

Up to 26 British police officers were being treated in hospital today following riots which broke out in north London two days after a man was shot dead by police.

Scotland Yard said at least one of the officers had suffered head injuries after protesters clashed with police in Tottenham, north London.

Trouble flared after members of the community took to the streets last night to demand “justice”, after Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead by police on Thursday.

The riots saw buildings and vehicles set alight, including two patrol cars, a police van and a double-decker bus, and shops looted as police in riot gear arrived on the scene.

Hundreds of people gathered in the street, including mounted police, as smoke poured into the air from the lighted bus.

Fire engines descended on the area and thunderflashes (devices which carry a fuse that, when it burns dowb, results in a loud bang and flash) were thrown at police on horseback.

After sections of Tottenham High Road were cleared of protesters, “pockets of trouble” continued to flare in nearby areas, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Two vans were reported to have been set ablaze in nearby Rheola Close, and Sky News said that its reporter and cameraman had to withdraw from the area over safety fears.

There were also reports of looting in Tottenham Hale Retail Park.

A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said paramedics had treated 10 people, and nine were taken to hospital.

The violence erupted after around 120 people marched from the local Broadwater Farm area to Tottenham police station yesterday, forcing officers to close the High Road and put traffic diversions in place.

After night fell, two police cars parked about 200 yards from the police station were set upon.

Scotland Yard said in a statement: “Two police cars had parked up at Forster Road/ High Road while their officers conducted traffic patrols on foot. This is about 200 yards north of Tottenham Police Station.

“At approximately 8.20pm a number of bottles were thrown at these two cars. One was set alight and the second was pushed into the middle of the High Road. It was subsequently set alight.

“The officers were not in the vehicles and were unhurt.

“Officers from the Territorial Support Group have been deployed to disperse the crowd. They are deployed to the north and south of Tottenham Police Station in the High Road, and are subject to bottles and other missiles being thrown at them by the crowd.”

A family friend of Mr Duggan, who gave her name only as Nikki, 53, said the man’s friends and relatives had organised the protest because “something has to be done” and the marchers wanted “justice for the family”.

Some of those involved lay in the road to make their point, she said.

“They’re making their presence known because people are not happy,” she added. “This guy was not violent. Yes, he was involved in things but he was not an aggressive person. He had never hurt anyone.”

As the scenes of violence escalated, local MP David Lammy appealed for calm, saying in a statement that the events were “not representative of the vast majority of people in Tottenham”.

He added: “Those who remember the destructive conflicts of the past will be determined not to go back to them.

“We already have one grieving family in our community and further violence will not heal that pain. True justice can only follow a thorough investigation of the facts.

“The Tottenham community and Mark Duggan’s family and friends need to understand what happened on Thursday evening when Mark lost his life. To understand those facts, we must have calm.”

A spokesman for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson urged those involved in the violence to “respect the rule of the law”, adding that “violence and destruction of property will do nothing to facilitate this investigation”.

Commander Stephen Watson of the Metropolitan Police, which has set up a gold command room in Lambeth to oversee the incident, stressed that “a significant number of police officers” had been deployed to the scene, telling BBC News: “Our people are very well trained and led. We are exercising contingency plans which are well rehearsed.”

He added: “Our intention is to restore calm and normality to the area as soon as possible.”

He said there would be arrests for criminal offences, but that they came second to preserving public safety.

Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne, of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), said in a statement: “I understand the distress that the shooting of Mark Duggan has caused to his family and in the community and that people need answers about what happened to him.”

She said the IPCC yesterday supported 14 family members and friends in formally identifying Mr Duggan’s body, and would have further meetings with his family today.

“We are still gathering evidence and will release further details about our progress with the investigation as soon as we can.”

On Friday, it emerged that Mr Duggan had been travelling in a minicab and was gunned down after an apparent exchange of fire.

A police officer’s radio was found to have a bullet lodged in it afterwards, suggesting they may have narrowly escaped being struck.

Officers had been attempting to carry out an arrest under the Trident operational command unit, which deals with gun crime in the black community, according to the IPCC.

Last night’s troubles evoked memories of 1985, when a police officer, Pc Keith Blakelock, was hacked to death following a riot in Broadwater Farm, where the marchers set off yesterday.