The Met Police has called on parents to take responsibility for their children after four police officers were attacked by a teenage mob in Clapham – as MPs demanded ‘mass arrests’.
Hundreds of teenagers descended on the plush district of south-west London last night and Saturday as part of an Easter holiday ‘linkup’ promoted on social media, with a second taking place in Birmingham.
More than 300 teenagers descended on the Clapham Common baseball courts before swarming the High Street to steal from shops, attack police and fight amongst themselves – as terrified families barricaded themselves inside supermarkets.
In a new statement today, the Met revealed four police officers and one member of the public had been assaulted, as they promised a ‘zero tolerance’ over the Bank Holiday weekend, including the use of dispersal orders.
The force urged youngsters and their parents to ‘think of the consequences’ of taking part and vowed to carry out more arrests – with ‘specialist officers’ going through CCTV to identify offenders.
Three girls, a 17-year-old and two aged 13, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, with the older suspect subsequently charged. A further three teenage girls were arrested on suspicion of theft and assault.
Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said parents ‘also have a role to play’ and asked them to ‘take responsibility’.
Chris Philp, the shadow Home Secretary and Tory MP for Croydon South, called for ‘surge policing’.
‘Mass rioting and looting by youths in Clapham is totally unacceptable,’ he said. ‘This is straight up criminality and there should be mass arrests. There is no excuse for this appalling behaviour – which intimidates the law-abiding majority and causes huge losses for shops.
‘We need urgent surge policing deployed into this area accompanied by widespread stop and search to take drugs and knives off the streets. Police should also immediately deploy live facial recognition there to catch wanted criminals who may be circulating in the mob.’
Sir Keir Starmer is yet to comment, while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the scenes as ‘appalling’.
‘The Mayor is clear that the appalling scenes in Clapham were absolutely unacceptable and those responsible will face the full force of the law,’ a spokesman for Mr Khan said.
‘Three arrests have been made so far and the Met has made clear that more arrests will be made over the coming days as they continue their investigation. There will also be an increased police presence in the area in the coming days, with officers providing support and reassurance to residents and businesses.’
BIRMINGHAM: On Friday, youths gathered in Birmingham city centre where they ran through the streets, terrorised shops and brawled
CLAPHAM, LONDON: More than 300 teenagers descended on Clapham Common basketball courts on Saturday and Tuesday before swarming the high street where they looted shops, attacked police and fought one another
CLAPHAM, LONDON: Police vehicles could be seen desperately trying to move through the throng of youths who took to the streets in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon
DCS Bond, who leads policing in Clapham, said: ‘We recognise the concern that this incident will have caused the community in Clapham.
‘We have a clear plan in place should any further disorder take place in the coming days and are in close contact with our partners and businesses in the area.
‘Our officers will continue to maintain a strong, visible presence around Clapham and we will respond robustly to any reports of disorder, thefts or planned meet-ups.
‘I’d urge those young people who think this is just a bit of fun to carefully consider the consequences. Events like this, fuelled by online trends and viral content on platforms such as TikTok, can quickly escalate and lead to serious outcomes.
‘If you join in or cause further disorder, you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record, which can have long-lasting consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.’
DCS Bond promised further arrests before appealing to parents to intervene.
‘There is widespread CCTV coverage on streets and in businesses in the area and we’re already reviewing that footage, as well as officers’ body worn video cameras, to identify those who committed offences on Saturday and last night,’ she said.
‘The parents/ guardians of those involved in last night’s disorder also have a role to play. I’d appeal to them to take responsibility – to be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they’re with, and to take steps to make sure they’re not involved in this sort of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.’
Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill Bell Ribeiro-Addy also condemned the incidents in a statement on X, writing: ‘I’m very concerned by the recent scenes of unrest on Clapham High Street.
‘This intimidating behaviour causes havoc for local residents and businesses alike. It is inexcusable. The police have informed me that we will see increased patrols in the area over the coming days.’
There was a heavy police presence on Clapham High Street today, with officers going into stores to speak to staff.
Gordon Ross and his wife Louise, who live in Clapham and had ventured out to do their food shopping, said the news had made them worried.
‘It doesn’t make us feel good knowing this is happening on our doorstep,’ Mrs Ross said.
‘We’ve never had anything like this in the eight years we’ve been here. We have family in Eastbourne, and to be honest, this makes me want to move.’
Richard Santos, 49, a butcher, was driving the high street after work yesterday and saw a girl punch a police officer in the face.
‘What on earth is happening to the younger generation?’ he asked.
Tribe hair salon, opposite the common, has been broken into countless times in the past by thieves who have smashed Lime bikes through the window.
BIRMINGHAM: Footage posted on social media shows teenagers running through the city centre on the last day of term
A similar gathering happened in Birmingham on Friday as school kids flocked to the city centre on the last day of term causing shops to shut as police fought to control the crowd.
Hooded youths were seen hurtling through the streets, fighting each other, swarming on shops and fast-food restaurants with videos posted on social media showing arrests being made in the streets.
TikTok videos and comments from people who attended suggest these ‘linkups’ are loosely pre-arranged via social media.
West Midlands Police were forced to issue a 36 hour dispersal order in Solihull town centre yesterday due to ‘a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour’, including ‘reports of children and teenagers causing anti-social behaviour and criminal damage’.
The force said: ‘We realise the community have been impacted by the incidents which are simply not acceptable and we want to reassure residents we are taking action.
‘The people involved, which are groups of youths, are causing issues in the local community and we are determined to stop this happening.
‘Over the next 36 hours we’ve put in extra policing powers which will allow us to disperse anyone engaging in anti-social behaviour and causing a public nuisance. We have also increased the number of officers in the area.’
Inspector Mitch Darby, from Solihull Police, said: ‘We can’t tolerate this kind of behaviour which is having a real negative impact on the local community and this dispersal order gives us the powers to move people on who are causing a public nuisance.
‘We can assure the community we are taking action. You will see extra officers in the area over the coming days.’
With teenagers across the country on half-term, there are now fears the viral clips of these ‘linkups’ will inspire more to erupt in different cities and towns with the Met Police warning it is a real possibility.
On Tuesday, police vehicles could be seen desperately trying to move through the throng of boys and girls who took to the streets in broad daylight.
The force confirmed two teenage girls were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, and a dispersal order was put in place.
‘There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour.’
Marks and Spencer on the high street – which was looted by the flash mob over the weekend leading to three arrests – shut early amid fears of a further raid on its aisles.
And a security guard working for the supermarket told the Daily Mail he had to lock shoppers in for a short while, before gradually allowing them to be escorted out by officers.
Mohammed said: ‘Police warned us there would be chaos so we prepared for it because of what happened last Saturday. There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour.’
BIRMINGHAM: TikTok videos mocked the lack of control the police had over the crowd of teenagers
He added the supermarket decided instead to just close for the day and not reopen, but some shoppers remained inside.
‘Police knew roughly the time today,’ he said. ‘They said it would start at around 4pm so they were here since midday. But the chaos happened at 7pm.
‘We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out.
‘Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety.’
Mohammed said the teens also targeted a branch of Boots which was not as well prepared for the chaos as other shops and was impacted ‘very badly’.
Meanwhile, a local Waitrose also closed, sticking a ‘police advised’ closure notice on its front door.
Further videos showed large groups of balaclava-clad youths gathering outside a McDonald’s restaurant in the area as marked and unmarked police cars raced to the scene.
Families were also reportedly ‘barricaded’ inside a local Sainsbury’s as teenagers, many of whom dressed in all black, claimed control of the busy high street.
Both McDonald’s and Sainsbury’s were forced to shut before their scheduled time amid the mob disruption.
Employees at local shops said they were ‘scared’ as chaos reigned along the heaving road with cars coming to a standstill and commuters ducking for cover, or opting to film the scene using their smartphones.
Fires were spotted burning on the fields of Clapham Common as police swooped in to extinguish them, sending smoke billowing into the air.
Dozens of officers broke into the huge crowd of teens in a bid to disperse the mob, but most of the youngsters appeared to hold their ground, seemingly unbothered by the threat of arrest.
More officers arrived in four vehicles, including two vans, to separate a group gathering outside the Common’s basketball courts but many teens simply dashed past them as others shouted jibes at the cops.
Lime bikes lay scattered across the ground and a stench of cannabis hung in the air as youths gathered into intimidatingly large groups both on the street and in the park.
CLAPHAM, LONDON: Fires could be spotted burning on the fields of Clapham Common as police swooped in to put them out, sending smoke billowing into the air
CLAPHAM, LONDON: Clips circulating on social media saw crowds of children tearing through the neighbourhood in south London, terrorising locals and forcing shops to close
‘It felt like Notting Hill carnival,’ the security guard said. ‘I’ve only seen something similar happen during the carnival when I worked at the Notting Hill branch.’
An employee at Roosters Spot chicken shop said: ‘Police told us to shut our shop and after we reopened we were warned not to let any kids come in today.
‘We were scared because we heard groups of 10 to 15 of them were coming into shops, running about, picking up trays and smashing stuff at walls.’
By 10.30pm, the commotion had died down with police able to disperse a majority of the participants.
At the time, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Clapham High Street following reports of a large crowd of young people causing anti-social behaviour.
‘Officers are on the scene, and a dispersal order has been put in place, meaning anyone congregating must leave the area.
‘At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. They have been taken to custody.
‘Officers will remain in the area to offer support and respond to any concerns from local residents and businesses.’
During Saturday’s madness, police were forced to issue a dispersal order and two 16-year-old girls and one 15-year-old girl were arrested for shoplifting and assault during the chaotic gathering.
Footage posted on social media showed police officers watching on as an army of youngsters stormed through the supermarket.
Officers attempted to control the frenzied crowd as they shoved each other while running down the frozen food aisle before a brawl broke out that left one girl in tears.
Other videos showed them running through the high street squealing and shouting as confused onlookers stood frozen in fear.
They also ambushed other shops in the area, including a Sainsbury’s where a young girl was filmed hitting a police officer and another seen running out of the shop and away from officers.
Videos and comments from teenagers who attended suggest the meet-up was arranged on social media with many calling it ‘the Clapham courts linkup’ and others simply referring to it as ‘Clapham courts’ or ‘courts’.
Footage showed Saturday’s large gathering initially meeting up at Clapham Common netball and basketball courts before spilling out on to the streets as the atmosphere became increasingly chaotic.
Clips of the incident went viral on social media, with viewers branding the ordeal yet another example of Lawless London.
CLAPHAM, LONDON – A mob of teenagers took over a Marks and Spencer food hall in Clapham on Saturday
CLAPHAM, LONDON – The riot raged on into the evening with scores of teenagers facing off with police attempting to disperse participants
A Met Police spokesperson said of Saturday’s mob incident: ‘Tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour continues to be a priority for the Met, and we’re doing more to take action against offenders and support local businesses.
‘This proactive approach saw a 44 per cent increase in arrests last year, while shoplifting across London fell by four per cent.
‘At around 16:45hrs on Saturday, 28 March, police responded to reports of a group of around 100 young people causing anti-social behaviour and stealing from a number of businesses on Clapham High Street.
‘Officers imposed a dispersal order and made three arrests. Three girls, two aged 16 and one 15-year-old girl, were arrested for shoplifting and assault. They have since been bailed.’
