Police and crime commissioners could see households and businesses claiming for compensation of up to £1 million in the aftermath of riots erupting across the UK.
Under the law in England and Wales, victims of criminal damage to their property and possessions during a riot are entitled to claim for losses.
Questions about legal protection have been raised after several days of violent disorder in towns and cities including Liverpool, Rotherham, Tamworth, Middlesbrough and Hull, after three schoolgirls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday last week.
Hundreds of police officers have been injured in clashes with thugs, as far-right activists led the way in attacking police officers, mosques and hotels thought to house asylum seekers.
The aftermath of a Lush beauty shop in Hull, which was looted following riots across the UK in the last week
Shoe Zone in Hull was gutted after it was hit by rioters
A hotel used to house asylum seekers was targeted by far-right rioters in Rotherham
Wheelie bins were torched outside Spellow Library and One Stop Shop in Liverpool
And inside – where extensive damaged had been caused
An investigator wearing protective gloves assesses the damage to the Shoe Zone shop in Hull after it was torched
A cafe on the Donegall Road in south Belfast was damaged during disorder linked to anti-immigration protests in the city
Islamophobic chants were heard and in some areas of the country rioters were filmed stopping cars and interrogating drivers about whether they were ‘white and English’.
Properties and shops including Shoe Zone, Sainsbury’s, Lush and Greggs are among to have been targeted by people damaging, looting and setting fire to buildings.
In Rotherham, anti-immigration rioters smashed the windows of the Holiday Inn Express before starting fires.
A similar incident played out at a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth into Sunday evening, where reports suggested asylum seekers were also being housed.
And in Rochdale, a Holiday Inn Express hotel for asylum seekers was also left with a lot of damage after it was targeted.
A group of rioters in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and threw objects at officers on Sunday afternoon, with one seen shouting a racial slur and another telling police: ‘It’s our f****** country.’
And in Hull, the Lush store was left with smashed front windows and its beauty products littered outside the front door after thieves took over.
But a piece of legislation under the Riot Compensation Act (RCA) gives victims of criminal damage or loss during a riot the right to compensation.
Advice on the Government website states people can claim compensation under the RCA from the local police claims authority – crime commissioners, who oversee policing – if their property is not adequately insured.
In order to qualify for compensation victims must demonstrate that the damage or loss they have suffered was as a result of a riot.
Each RCA claim will be subject to a maximum compensation limit of £1m.
Not all instances of damage or loss that occur during a period of civil disturbance will meet the criteria for compensation under the RCA.
Insurance companies can also make a claim to be reimbursed after paying out in full or in part for people affected by riot damage.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned that people will ‘regret taking part in this disorder’ and said he ‘won’t shy away from what it is: far-right thuggery’.
In a speech in Downing Street, he likened the events to rioting in 2011 when he was working as the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He stressed it is ‘violence’ and ‘not protests’ that is sweeping the streets.
However, guidance on the Government website notes that ‘not all instances of damage or loss that occur during a period of civil disturbance will meet the criteria for compensation’ under the riot regulations.
A badly damaged supermarket on the Donegall Road in south Belfast
Protesters appeared to lob missiles while others started fires in Rotherham at the weekend
A car burns after it was set on fire during a demonstration in Middlesbrough by far right activists
A police officer walks by a man cleaning up debris inside a Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth
The Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth was left damaged by a violent mob
Riot police stand next to the windows broken by protesters outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham
The first suspects have now appeared in court charged with offences linked to riots, in locations across the UK.
Downing Street said anyone whipping up violence online could face prison.
In a read-out of Monday morning’s emergency Cobra meeting, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The police, Home Office, DSIT (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) and NCA (National Crime Agency) are working to tackle criminality online, to ensure people are prosecuted for online criminal activity. And they are working to tackle misinformation and bot activity.’
The official continued: ‘I should be very clear that anyone who stokes this violence, whether on the internet or in person, can be prosecuted and face prison.’
