It would seem either that criminal elements that conducted last night’s rioting in Tottenham have moved on to target Enfield Town, or a separate mob has gathered for a copycat confrontation with the police. Reports from the Haringey Independent, London 24 and the Enfield Independent state that there have already been minor clashes between police and rioters following an afternoon of rumours on social networking sites that Enfield would witness violence this evening. The first trouble took place at around 6.30pm, with some 100 rioters smashing shop windows and trashing a police car. As of 9.30pm, it was reported that the number of rioters had risen to circa 200.
The Metropolitan Police had made some allowance for potential trouble by sending 20 riot police to protect Enfield Town Station. As to the identities of the rioters, reports have little to say other than that they were ‘youths’ kitted out in stereotypical contemporary rioter attire, wearing hoodies with scarves drawn across their faces. A group of about 30 is said to have been driven back by the police along Southbury Road, and was last sighted heading towards the centre of Enfield. Anticipating that the Met could be overstretched this evening, the Daily Telegraph reports that additional officers have been drawn in from the following neighbouring forces: City of London, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Thames Valley, but it has not been revealed where precisely it is intended to deploy them.
The opportunistic nature of this criminality has been demonstrated by the fact that this evening's rioters targeted a jewellery shop and briefly entered, although the Guardian does not mention whether they happened to make off with any of the shop's wares. Moreover, other opportunistic criminals keen to conduct their business behind the smokescreen of 'social protest' appear to have been squaring up for a confrontation with the police in Brixton earlier this evening, where they hurled bottles at police vans. According to the Telegraph, three police officers have been hospitalised following the incident in Coldharbour Lane. It remains to be seen whether the recently formed vigilante groups in Wood Green will be put to the test tonight in defending their businesses.
The opportunistic nature of this criminality has been demonstrated by the fact that this evening's rioters targeted a jewellery shop and briefly entered, although the Guardian does not mention whether they happened to make off with any of the shop's wares. Moreover, other opportunistic criminals keen to conduct their business behind the smokescreen of 'social protest' appear to have been squaring up for a confrontation with the police in Brixton earlier this evening, where they hurled bottles at police vans. According to the Telegraph, three police officers have been hospitalised following the incident in Coldharbour Lane. It remains to be seen whether the recently formed vigilante groups in Wood Green will be put to the test tonight in defending their businesses.
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