Watch: Anti-social behaviour arrests in Croydon ‘not linked to riots’

Ten arrests for “anti-social behaviour” in Croydon on Wednesday evening were not linked to the far-Right rioting of recent days, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The force made 15 arrests across London, with officers detaining the 10 people in Croydon on North End Road. They were arrested for offences including assault on an emergency worker, breaching a Section 35 dispersal order, going equipped for arson and violent disorder.

An image posted on Twitter by the Met shows officers wearing riot gear appearing to arrest an individual wearing a black tracksuit and balaclava. Further footage shows officers running down the road with shields.

The force said the arrests were not related to any riots, but that a “small group” were “intent on causing trouble”.

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A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Approximately 50 people have gathered in North End Road, Croydon. They’ve made clear their intention is to cause disruption and fuel disorder. They’ve dragged and thrown objects down the road and thrown bottles at officers.

“This is not linked to the protest – this appears to be pure anti-social behaviour. Officers are moving in numbers to make arrests.”

Mass demonstrations failed to materialise on Wednesday despite fears of riots erupting across the country.

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Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, claimed tougher sentences handed to rioters were helping calm unrest, telling Times Radio: “Last night, we didn’t see the levels of criminality that we perhaps could have done after the events of recent days.

“And I think that’s because of the presence of the police on our streets and also the response from the criminal justice system – that if you get involved in criminal activity in the way that’s happened in the last few days, you will be held to account.”

Andy Valentine, the Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said: “More than 1,000 officers were deployed in London, ready to respond to events planned across the city.

“They were ready to protect our communities from hateful, divisive and violent behaviour. Officers did face anti-social behaviour from a small group in Croydon who were not related to any protest, but were intent on causing trouble.”