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Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister said the ongoing violence “is not protest – it is violent disorder and needs to be treated as such, as criminal activity”.<\/p>\n
Ms Alexander told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We will make sure that anyone who is given a custodial sentence as a result of the riots and disorder, there will be a prison place waiting for them.”<\/p>\n
She said 567 additional prison places would soon be available, including extra cells at HMP Stocken, Rutland, and places at Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution in Kent for adult prisoners.<\/p>\n
Further information released by the Ministry of Justice said it would also speed-up fire safety works in other parts of the prison estate to create useable space.<\/p>\n
It follows the introduction three weeks ago of new measures to release some prisoners early due to a lack of capacity in the prison system.<\/p>\n
Director of Public Prosecutions Mr Parkinson told the BBC some of the most serious offenders would be charged with terrorism offences.<\/p>\n
He said his team would consider seeking the extradition of social media influencers allegedly playing a role in the disorder from abroad.<\/p>\n
Mr Parkinson told the BBC that offenders “must know that they are not safe and there is nowhere to hide”.<\/p>\n
To ensure “swift justice” can be delivered, Ms Alexander said courts in some areas “could possibly” begin sitting through the evening, nights and weekends.<\/p>\n
Disorder has now lasted almost a week, following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport. The subsequent unrest in towns and cities across England and in parts of Northern Ireland has been fuelled by misinformation online, the far right and anti-immigration sentiment.<\/p>\n
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Live updates on riots and disorder in UK<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Analysis: Protests reveal deep-rooted anger, but UK is not at boiling point<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Watch: Seven days of violence<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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At the Cabinet meeting, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned “the disgraceful scenes of crime and thuggery” at sites including mosques, a library and hotels housing asylum seekers.<\/p>\n
She said a new National Violent Disorder Programme was bringing together policing capabilities from forces across the country to bring those responsible to justice.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir said the government would “take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end”.<\/p>\n
Devon and Cornwall Police said several officers had suffered minor injuries in violence in Plymouth on Monday night.<\/p>\n
The city council’s deputy leader, Jemima Laing, said it was “upsetting” to see Plymouth used as a stop on the “racist summer tour” that appears to be happening.<\/p>\n
In South Belfast, riot officers had stones and petrol bombs thrown at them in an area close to a supermarket which was set on fire at the weekend. A man in his 50s has been hospitalised in an incident the police are treating as a racially motivated hate crime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/picture><\/span>PA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n