COPS have given a Leeds riot update – with “several” arrested and officers ATTACKED in chaos “sparked by kids being taken into care”.
Hundreds of thugs wreaked havoc in the suburb of Harehills last night – torching a bus and flipping a police car.
The riot is said to have started after cops scrambled to a “disturbance” involving some agency workers and children at 5pm.
Chaos broke out after three kids were forcibly removed from their parents and taken into care, it is claimed.
West Yorkshire Police said cops were attacked at the scene after responding to reports of social workers being “met with hostility”.
As the riot unfolded, cops allegedly came under attack with bricks and missiles.
Several arrests were made during the riot and cops are now hunting for all the rioters involved.
Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said: “There has understandably been a great deal of speculation, commentary and concern following the disorder in Harehills, Leeds, overnight.
“Our officers responded to a call from Children’s Social Care at around 5pm yesterday.
“Social workers reported being met with hostility when dealing with a child protection matter.
“Responding officers were attacked and helped Children’s Social Care staff withdraw to a place of safety.
“As the disorder escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires set.
“We continually assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers.
“They then came under a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large group.
“A decision was taken to withdraw these officers temporarily as it was evident that the police was their sole target.
“This allowed for further community mediation to take place in order to calm the situation.
“Police then returned to the area with Fire colleagues to extinguish the remaining fires.”
Twiggs added: “These fires were self-contained and did not pose a wider risk.
“By this point the crowd had diminished and officers were able to fully restore order.
“Throughout the night several arrests were made in relation to the disorder and further arrests will be made over the next few days.
“The force Major Enquiry Team have launched an investigation which will include reviewing CCTV and social media footage and images to identify the perpetrators.
“We will leave no stone unturned in our hunt for all those who were involved.
“We will work closely with our criminal justice partners to bring them to justice.”
Hellhole Leeds suburb where machete gangs rule
A MILE away from Leeds city centre, residents in poverty-stricken Harehills claim the area is blighted by alcohol and substance abuse.
A recent spate of gangland-style stabbings and murders has left people fearing for their safety.
In September a 16-year-old was slashed on Florence Street by two men armed with machetes.
locals say shocking brawls and machete attacks are becoming increasingly commonplace.
An employee who works at a garage along the street where it happened, who didn’t wish to be named, told The Sun: “Harehills life is bulls***. I am from Belgium and I can’t believe what I’m seeing here.
“I need to move away. I came here and I’ve never seen anything like it. I feel unsafe.
“How can there be a murder on the street where you work? A murder? I thought England had high standards.”
Simanga Musipa, 48, who runs a music studio in his home on Ashton Place, told us: “I live my life too much like I lived in Zimbabwe.
“The problem around here is that there is no CCTV – the police and the council don’t do anything about the problems here.
“If you or I were to commit a crime, we would think about putting a balaclava on, but not round here.
“It all happens out in the open because there is nothing to keep an eye on anybody.
“Crimes that should be happening in other places are happening here because they are away from cameras.”
The ward of Harehills and Gipton is one of Leeds’ most populous, with an estimated 30,879 people living in and around the streets, flats and housing schemes.
The high amount of rental means a lot of homes are neglected, and living in such close quarters has led to an inflated crime rate of 241.4 crimes per 1,000 residents. The national average is 75.88.
The area is renowned for its mass riots in June 2001, as well as the killing of a 20-year-old man, Adam Chadwick, shot in 2008 in a case of mistaken identity.
In 2007, a 14-year-old girl, Zuzanna Zommer, was sexually assaulted and murdered in a frenzied attack by her neighbour, convicted rapist Michael Clark.
Violent crime remains the biggest issue, with 3,122 incidents reported in 12 months up to June this year, along with concerning numbers across public order offences (963 incidents), criminal damage (642 incidents) and antisocial behaviour (517 incidents).
In 2021 a 19-year-old was jailed for punching an off-licence owner and threatening him with a machete in a row over a £3.75 drink, before using it to cause £3,000 worth of damage by smashing up the shop doors.
Meanwhile Harehills’ drug crime rate equates to more than one offence every day (389 incidents).
Anyone with information should contact West Yorkshire Police under Op Jerviswick or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Twiggs said: “It is important to recognise the disorder and damage was caused by a criminal minority intent on disrupting the community.
“Members of the community worked in conjunction with our Key Individual Networks and Elected Members who were on the ground were trying to de-escalate the situation.
“They are also working alongside us and Leeds City Council today to clean-up the area.
“There will be a significant policing presence within Harehills over the weekend.
“Future attempts to engage in crime and disorder will be met with a robust response.
“I would like to thank the Harehills community once again for their efforts and support.”
Now, distressing footage has shown a policeman gripping a boy’s arms as he hauled him from the house.
An eyewitness said: “They tried to take the kids by force.”
The clip shows a mob gathering as the officer takes the boy to a police van encircled by cops.
Shouts are heard from the raging crowd as the boy is bundled inside.
Chaos continued from there – with footage showing rioters setting a bus on fire, tipping over a police car and lobbing missiles at cops.
Leeds City Council said “it would not be appropriate to comment further on any alleged circumstances surrounding this incident”.
The council urged locals not to engage with speculation on social media.
A cop car was smashed by thugs wielding children’s scooters before a crowd gathered to rock it onto its side in shocking scenes.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was aware of the fire – but took the decision to let it “burn itself out”.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of a fire in the open in Harehills, Leeds at present.
“As it stands the fire in the street is not impacting on public safety or buildings and as such we are allowing it to burn itself out.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police who are leading this incident.”
West Yorkshire Police reportedly drafted in riot cops from forces across Yorkshire and Manchester before restoring order.
No emergency services were allowed to enter a one mile radius of the riots before cops marched in.
Leeds City Council said: “We have been working with police, community leaders and other agencies overnight as they respond to an incident of serious disorder in Harehills.
“While this is an ongoing police matter, it would not be appropriate to comment further on any alleged circumstances surrounding this incident.
“However, we would ask people to avoid engaging with speculation on social media to enable people to engage with local services where they need to.
“Incidents like this do not reflect Leeds or the Harehills community as a whole.
“Our communities, including the one in Harehills, play a vital role in ensuring collectively we keep our neighbourhoods safe and feeling safe.
“We are immensely grateful to those key individual networks of individuals, community leaders and elected officials within Harehills who rallied together last night to help to do this and prevent the situation from worsening alongside the police.”