Police fear the extra resources being ploughed into efforts to deal with the violence which has erupted across UK towns and cities in recent days means other crimes may not be investigated fully.
The warning comes a day after dozens of people were arrested as far-right activists faced off with anti-racism protesters, with violent scenes played out in many locations, from the Northern Ireland capital, Belfast, to Liverpool in the northwest of England, Sunderland in the north-east, Hull in Humberside and Bristol in the west.
More arrests are likely as police scour CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage.
In just one incident on Saturday, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder in Liverpool, which saw a community facility being set on fire.
The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide support for one of the most deprived communities in the country, suffered severe damage to the ground floor. Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
Further gatherings are scheduled today and police will continue to mount a significant security operation, deploying thousands more officers onto the streets, many in riot gear. Police have also made more prison cells available and are using surveillance and facial recognition technology.
Tiffany Lynch from the Police Federation of England and Wales told the BBC: “We’re seeing officers that are being pulled from day-to-day policing.
“But while that’s happening, the communities that are out there that are having incidents against them – victims of crime – unfortunately, their crimes are not being investigated.”
The violence erupted earlier this week, ostensibly in protest of Monday’s stabbing attack in Southport. A 17-year-old male has been arrested.
False rumours spread online that the young man was a Muslim and an immigrant, fuelling anger among far-right supporters. Suspects under 18 are usually not named in the UK, but Judge Andrew Menary ordered Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales to Rwandan parents, to be identified, in part to stop the spread of misinformation.
Police said many of the actions are being organised online by shadowy far-right groups, who are mobilising support online with phrases like “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”
Far-right demonstrators have held several violent gatherings since three children were stabbed to death in Southport. Anger against the Muslim community has been fuelled by false claims that the perpetrator was a Syrian migrant who arrived in Britain by dinghy.
More events are being held today, complete with counter-protests.
Large numbers of anti-immigration demonstrators, some wearing masks, clashed with police Tuesday outside a mosque in Southport – close to the scene of the horrific stabbing – hurling beer cans, bottles and flares near the prime minister’s office in London the next day. Many in Southport have expressed their anger at the organised acts of violence in the wake of the tragedy.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, has been charged with murder over the attack that killed Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. He has also been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder for the eight children and two adults who were wounded.
Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, has blamed the violence on “far-right hatred” and vowed to end the mayhem. He said police across the U.K. would be given more resources to stop “a breakdown in law and order on our streets.”
Policing minister Diana Johnson told the BBC that there is “no need” to bring in the army to help police in their efforts to confront the violence.
She said: “The police have made it very clear that they have all the resources they need at the moment.”
