Select Committee · Home Affairs Committee

Summer 2024 disorder

Status: Closed Opened: 12 Nov 2024 Closed: 9 Dec 2025 8 recommendations 13 conclusions 1 report

Disorder took place in several UK cities between 30 July and 7 August 2024, following the violent events in Southport on 29 July. The Government has reported that over 40,000 additional officer shifts were worked by public order officers over the course of ten days, with 6,600 officers deployed on one day alone. As of …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
2nd Report – Police response to the 2024 summer disorder HC 381 14 Apr 2025 21 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

7 items
1 Conclusion 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Protests in July-August 2024 escalated into widespread violent disorder.

We received no evidence to dispute the characterisation of violent disorder between 30 July and 7 August 2024. Many events held during this period began as protests and remained as such. But while some instances of disorder may have originated as protests, they quickly degenerated into violence. In some cases …

Government response. The government details the CPS's specific actions to review and update the Media Protocol, including a public consultation launched in January 2025 and an intention to publish the revised guidance in autumn 2025, alongside supporting proposals for law reform on …
Home Office
4 Conclusion 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Police forces were unprepared for high levels of violence during last summer's disorder.

The levels of violence seen across the country last summer were the worst since 2011. Police officers worked tirelessly to respond to the disorder and it was only through their efforts that more serious injury and property damage was prevented. Nevertheless, in several cases it appears that police forces were …

Government response. The government states that the police have reviewed the national mobilisation plan, which now specifically describes a national public order gold role with explicit authority for national mobilisation numbers and strategy, and this plan has been agreed and circulated amongst …
Home Office
11 Recommendation 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Set ambitious, long-term proposals for reforming the policing system and addressing crime.

Given the importance of the Government’s ambitions on crime and policing, including halving knife crime and halving Violence Against Women and Girls, and the significant challenges facing the policing system, we encourage the Government to be ambitious in setting out its proposals for reform and not just focus on easy, …

Government response. The government states it has an unprecedented objective to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a new Strategy and a White Paper on policing reform, demonstrating an ambitious, long-term approach. It also highlights £13.1 million funding for a National …
Home Office
12 Conclusion 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Disorder incidents had detrimental effect on police officers already facing heavy workloads and stress.

Police officers worked for long hours in extremely difficult circumstances during disorder incidents, many of them suffering injury and other trauma. Those that were re-deployed but did not face significant disorder will still have experienced fatigue and an increased workload. Police forces did their best to ameliorate the impact on …

Government response. The Home Secretary has provided police forces in England and Wales with £28.3 million of funding to cover all of the additional costs of policing the disorder.
Home Office
14 Conclusion 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Delays in releasing special grant funding for disorder costs significantly impact police forces.

The costs incurred by police forces during the course of the disorder look modest in the context of overall policing budgets, but these unexpected costs have nonetheless had a significant impact and are being disproportionately borne by certain forces. We welcome the Government’s earlier commitment to reimbursing forces through special …

Government response. The government confirms that £28.3 million in funding to cover the additional costs of policing the disorder was paid in full to police forces in May 2025, addressing the committee's concerns about delays.
Home Office
15 Recommendation 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Release funding to police forces to cover disorder costs incurred as soon as possible.

If it has not done so already the Government should release funding to cover costs incurred during the disorder as soon as possible. (Recommendation, Paragraph 51)

Government response. The government accepted the recommendation, confirming that the Home Secretary agreed to provide £28.3 million to cover additional policing costs during the disorder, which was paid in full in May 2025.
Home Office
20 Conclusion 2nd Report – Police response to the 202… Accepted

Long-term policy alignment between Home Office and MoJ crucial for broader crime reduction ambitions.

The joint working, supported by the Government, between the police and the criminal justice system was essential in bringing about swift justice to the perpetrators of the disorder. This helped to prevent further disorder. However, we agree with the Policing Minister that it is not right for other serious crimes …

Government response. The government outlines its actions to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), its policing reform and Joint Police Reform Team and states that effective policing requires collaboration, shared priorities, and targeted support.
Home Office

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
25 Feb 2025 Andrew Johnson · Home Office, Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist · Metropolitan Police, Chief Constable BJ Harrington · National Police Chiefs' Council, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy · Merseyside Police, Emily Spurrell · Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP · Home Office View ↗
10 Dec 2024 Chris Noble · Staffordshire Police, Judi Heaton · Humberside Police, Lauren Poultney · South Yorkshire Police, Mark Webster · Cleveland Police View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
23 Apr 2025 To cttee Letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions relating to the Committee’s rep…
25 Feb 2025 To cttee Letter from the Crown Prosecution Service on the Process and guidance around pu…
25 Feb 2025 From cttee Letter to the Crown Proseution Service on the Process and guidance around publi…