Chris Sims, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, has delivered a report on the riots in Birmingham last month to the Police Authority. It is, as he understandably stresses, an interim report as the force's inquiry into what happened and its own response is continuing.
It makes fascinating reading and includes a timeline of events, from the police's point of view of course, which is fairly terrifying. I hadn't realised quite how much violence was directed at the police and how widespread it was.
Police were attacked by gangs with baseball bats, had their cars rammed, and were apparently shot at. The full timeline is in the report. This is an edited summary:
Monday August 8 - early morning Tuesday 9
15:33 - Potential for possible disorder acknowledged by West Midlands Police (WMP) and policing response outlined.
18:30 - Decision taken to authorise Force mobilisation, Police Support Units (PSUs - a unit of officers trained in dealing with public disorder) available taking total to 10
19:00 - Reports of disorder at various locations around Birmingham city centre.
