Ex-cops have pleaded with the government to give the police water cannons to beat rioting mobs, after a day where hordes of violent thugs rampaged across Britain’s cities.

The veteran officers said it was time to decide whether the country needs a police force or a police service – as they pleaded for decisive action to bring order back to the country’s besieged streets.

And they welcomed news that courts could sit overnight to sentence thugs in a plan which carries echoes of the battle to restore peace during the 2011 riots.

Yesterday, anarchy swept the UK in apocalyptic scenes across major cities and towns, as rioters threw bricks at police, cars were torched and shops were ransacked in a feeding frenzy of looting.

Brave police officers were hospitalised as they stood in the way of waves of vile thugs as they desperately fought to keep order, with some recording broken jaws and noses.

One shocking photo showed a shell-shocked officer staring into the camera as her colleagues tended to her, while further video saw a lone cop forced off his motorbike and beaten by a gang of thugs in Liverpool. 

And cops are bracing themselves for more disorder in the coming days as the National Police Chiefs Council say they will bring in 4,000 extra officers to deal with the ‘violent thugs’. 

It came after tensions fueled by misinformation boiled over following the mass stabbing in Southport – with mayhem breaking out in towns and cities across the country.

Kevin Moore, the former Detective Chief Superintendent of Sussex Police CID, told MailOnline that police forces must act with force to eradicate the chaos.

He said: ‘If you look at the tactics used by European police forces they don’t mess around.

Police uses a water canon during a protest against Covid restrictions in Amsterdam in 2021

A young man throws a brick at lines of police in Liverpool, as riots in the city close to the Southport stabbing turned violent

Police officers try to restrain a protester in Liverpool during the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration

Rubble lies at the feet of police officers thrown by protesters in Liverpool, amid horrifying violence

Masked thugs threw bricks at officers in shocking scenes as cops in riot gear attempted to quell the chaos

A masked thug throws a beer keg at a police car in Bristol as violence spreads across the country

A vandalised police vehicle which occurred during a protest in Bristol

‘It’s a hot summer at the moment – they’d be wheeling out the old water cannon and sorting it all out.

‘I think that the public and the government need to decide what sort of police force they want – whether they want one that’s going to enforce the law and maintain the King’s peace, or whether they want this quasi police service where we are all very nice to everyone but that is totally and utterly ineffective.’ 

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said yesterday that people involved in the clashes ‘will pay the price’ and that ‘criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets’.  

And Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the police have his ‘full support’ to take action against ‘extremists’ attempting to ‘sow hate’ by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.  

Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured. 

But Mr Moore slammed the government – saying it is time to recall parliament and focus on the issue, as he warned that an expectation that the depleted police force will be able to deal with the riots is ‘unrealistic’.

He continued: ‘One of the things that concerns me is that within the last week, Parliament has gone off on four weeks slumber. Why? Why is the prime minister not considering recalling parliament? Because something needs to happen.

‘There is a limit to how many police officers you can move around the country. I tell you, the first place that these police officers that they want to send all over the country will come from is neighborhood policing. 

A person throws a beer keg at a police car in Bristol during the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration

Police officers detain a woman during a protest in Nottingham Market Square yesterday 

NOTTINGHAM: Police officers detain a woman during a demonstration as she screams her protest

LIVERPOOL: Rioters torched the city’s new Spellow Hub library. which opened last year 

LIVERPOOL: The blaze at Spellow Hub reportedly started just after 11.30pm and followed a day of violent mayhem in the city 

BRISTOL: Police officers with dogs face protesters during the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration

An injured man is tended to after a fight broke out between anti-fascists and other people protesting in Blackpool

A fight breaks out between anti-fascists (back to camera) and demonstrators in Blackpool

‘And then what happens? Well, the service that the public get is appalling because there are no police officers out there to deliver it.

‘The government seem to think this is as easy as snapping your fingers, and all of these police officers are going to get magicked out of cupboards. It’s totally unrealistic. It’s just not going to happen.’

There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured. It followed a riot on Sunderland on Friday evening.

In Liverpool there were 11 arrests and a number of officers injured, with one being hit on the head by a chair. One officer was treated in hospital for a suspected broken jaw and another for a suspected broken nose.

Another officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.

Brian Booth, the Acting National Deputy Chair of Police Federation, welcomed the news that courts could sit throughout the day and night to bring more offenders to justice – saying it would be a serious deterrent.

He explained that he had he had ‘no issue’ with water cannons – but believes there are not enough available in the UK to have enough effect.

Himself a veteran of Bradford and the 2011 riots, he said: ‘I think the biggest key is we’ve got to make an absolute deterrent, and also make sure we’ve got Fast Track courts.

A protester throws a can of cider towards counter-protesters in Bristol

LEEDS: A masked protester raises his arms outside Leeds Town Hall. The protesters were allegedly organised as a response to the killings in Southport

In Hull, tyres had been set on fire as black smoke from the blaze filled the city’s streets 

Horrific video appeared to show demonstrators rushing an Asian man in his car in Hull

The crowd shouted ‘p***’, smashing the window as clouds of black smoke billowed overhead

People carry beer kegs in Bristol as they cover their faces and a man films them

‘Start showing people that we’re not messing about, sending people to prison. Showing if you’re going to get involved in the highest level of disorder – rioting – there are consequences.

‘I think a few quick hits and a lot of public attention around that will be the deterrent that probably starts to win.’

In response to reports that magistrates courts could sit 24/7 in response to the riots, a Government spokesperson said: ‘There are contingency measures in place across the criminal justice system, to handle any unexpected and exceptional increases in demand on magistrates’ courts.’

When a major incident causes a sudden surge in criminal gases the Chief Officer of Police and the Chief Crown Prosecutor can request additional court sessions.

The process was used in 2011, when Sir Keir Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions, and saw courts open throughout the night to process offenders.

The riots of that year – sparked after Mark Duggan, a black man, was shot dead by police – saw around 3,000 people arrested across cities including London, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham.

But Mr Booth added that drafting in officers from across the country will have an impact on future cases and will mean everyday inquiries will be processed slower.

And he said the effect of being pummeled by the very people they have been working to protect will have an ‘awful’ effect on morale, particularly after they did a ‘really good job’ in response to the horrific stabbing in Southport.

A protestor holds a fire extinguisher in Liverpool, where there have been tense clashes with police

Police called into action at the far-right counter demonstration in Bristol 

People react as a police officer falls while facing protesters throwing bricks and beverage cans outside the Liver Building in Liverpool

Opposing factions clash in Blackpool as fights break out in the seaside city

He said: ‘These officers aren’t just magicked out of out of nowhere, and there’s no impact. These officers are the ones that are carrying a normal workload or investigating crimes already. 

‘These are the officers who are being dragged back off annual leave or off their rest days and in the future, that will have an impact.

‘The general public are going to suffer in the in the sense that officers are being distracted from their normal duties. 

‘It’s awful because we’ve become the focus of everyone’s ills. The police are now becoming the targets of everyone’s anger, and it’s nothing they’ve done.

‘They’ve actually gone out and done a really good job bringing the alleged offender to justice, gathering the the evidence and dealing with a very upset public. But now becoming the target of the bricks and the stakes and the hatred.’

The riots in cities including London and Hartlepool are thought to be triggered by misinformation spread online as to the identity of the teenager suspected of killing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.

Axel Rudakubana, 17, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, was eventually named as the suspect in a bid to stop the chaos.

Southport locals – including Elsie’s mother – have desperately pleaded for the violence to stop to no avail. 

A man swings a length of wood as the groups fight on Blackpool’s cobbled streets

LEEDS: Yobs wearing the Union Jack mount railings and shout at cops as the protests continue

MANCHESTER: Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens

MANCHESTER: Major violence has exploded as simmering tensions erupt

Shocking images show cars and shops torched on the streets of Hull, while footage appeared to show demonstrators rushing an Asian man in his car as they shouted ‘p***’, smashing his window as clouds of black smoke billowed overhead. 

Running clashes between the mob and officers in the Liverpool left families visiting to see a Disney Princess cruise ship fleeing in terror from gangs of thugs. 

Hooligans torched the city’s new Spellow Hub library, which had only opened last year. Video footage showed vandals rampaging outside the facility, as flames rose into the night sky.  

Unverified reports on social media suggested a man was stabbed in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. However, Staffordshire Police denied that an attack had taken place in the town, with no stabbings reported to cops or emergency services.  

Footage posted online showed groups of Muslims gathering to ‘defend mosques’. Many appeared to be carrying sticks, though they said they were in the city ‘peacefully’. 

Major violence unfolded in Manchester when a massive brawl was swiftly broken up by officers wielding batons after a man allegedly threw a flare. Protesters tore down fences to hurl at other demonstrators as police put themselves between rival groups.

Footage showed men clutching cups of alcohol shouting and jeering as others jumped into a jumbled fight, each side grappling one another and ripping clothing.

In Hull, tear gas was deployed against demonstrators who smashed the windows of a hotel housing asylum seekers. Three officers were injured and four arrests were made, Humberside Police said.

MANCHESTER: A massive brawl was swiftly broken up by officers wielding batons in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens, after a man allegedly threw a flare

NOTTINGHAM: A protester is spoken to by a police officer in Nottingham city centre

MANCHESTER: Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens 

MANCHESTER: Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest

MANCHESTER: Police officers stand guard as people participate in a protest yesterday 

Shocking scenes from the Yorkshire city appeared to show an Asian man attacked after he reversed into a fence trying to escape the mob – while cars were torched and vandalised in an afternoon of rampant chaos.

Over 400 counter-protesters also massed in Cardiff, including Black Lives Matter and Stand Up to Racism, in contrast to a small number of demonstrators.

Fourteen people were arrested in Bristol, as shocking images showed beer kegs being thrown at police cars and windows being smashed by hurled projectiles.

A video shared on social media from Blackburn suggested far-right activists were demanding to see locals’ passports.

And in Blackpool, cops moved to protect the war memorial, as the iconic Prom was closed. Items were thrown at police vehicles as a police dog tore a flag from two protesters’ arms and then tackled a man.

Chairs were flung between rioters and punks gathered for the Rebellion festival in the seaside destination.

In one clash, a man was knocked unconscious when he fell backwards and hit his head on the ground. Another man drove his motorbike at the crowd before officers arrived.

Separately, police in Belfast deployed Land Rovers to keep an ‘anti-Islam’ protest separated from an anti-racism counter protest. Eyewitnesses said protesters chanted ‘Islam out’ in front of Belfast City Hall as they unfurled Union flags.

MANCHESTER: Rallies are taking place across the country, kicking off in Manchester as a man has already been detained at a clash between protesters

A man in a fur coat is detained by police officers during a protest in Nottingham Market Square

Lined up police keep order at a march in Bristol, as they are goaded by demonstrators

Cops make an arrest at the far-right counter demonstration in Bristol 

LEEDS: Counter protesters outside Leeds Town Hall against a group of demonstrators holding a protest at the same location following the stabbing attacks on Monday

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they are treating reports of criminal damage as ‘hate crimes’, and made two arrests. Later in the night, officers responded after a building was set on fire.

At 10am, a small crowd also gathered at Portsmouth’s Guildhall in Hampshire. 

More than 35 ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstrations are planned across the UK this weekend, with several counter-protests by groups such as Unite Against Fascism and Stand Up to Racism also set to take place.

The violence came alongside wide-spread looting, with shops across the UK ransacked as yobs took advantage of the chaos sweeping the country.

Wine, phones and phones were ripped from the shelves of every-day stores as brazen demonstrators profited from the anarchy, having smashed the windows with bricks and stones.

More shops were beaten and even torched by gangs of masked yobs, with blazes ripping through ordinary people’s livelihoods as anti-immigration demonstrations spiralled out of control.

And police say this could only be the beginning – with forces bracing for more disorder in the coming days.

LIVERPOOL: Photos show officers kicking a flare away after it was launched into the crowd

MANCHESTER: Police remove a badly beaten man after a fight broke out

MANCHESTER: Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens

Police officers face protesters in Nottingham Market Square following the stabbing attacks on Monday in Southport

Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said in a statement: ‘This week we have seen appalling behaviour that in no way shows compassion or respect for the little girls who were killed and injured last week. It shows no respect for our communities, and it will be stopped.

‘We know people will try and do this again in the coming days and policing has been and will continue to be ready.

‘There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.

‘So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you. Anyone committing a criminal offence will be detained and brought before the courts.

‘In recent days we have seen criminals masquerading as protesters, causing senseless destruction.

‘These people are not protesters, they’re violent thugs – and many have already been arrested and charged.’