Former Met Police detective Peter Bleksley says last night’s chaos in Leeds is part of a wider problem - that there is a swathe of no-go zones across the country.
He joined Martin Daubney on GB News to discuss the disorder that saw “several” arrests made, with more expected in the coming days.
West Yorkshire Police said the rioting broke out in Harehills on Thursday as officers were dealing with reports of social workers experiencing hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.
Bleksley said the chaos that ensued is emblematic of a huge problem facing Britain.
Peter Bleksley was shocked by the scenes in Leeds
GB NEWS / REUTERS
“Let’s tell the truth that many senior police officers and senior politicians won’t”, he said.
“There are no-go areas in this country. They will all deny it. Everybody in the establishment will say this is not the fact.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
“There are many areas in this country where the police are simply afraid to do that job.
“It has been born out numerous times by all the exploitation scandals that we have had of children in Rochdale and Rotherham.
“There are places where the police are very much afraid to tread.”
Bleksley accused police officers of not wanting to step foot in so-called “no-go zones” as they are afraid about having potentially damaging incidents take place while on duty, which could hinder their prospects of a promotion.
Bleksley joined Martin Daubney on GB News
GB NEWS
“They don’t want a situation like the one we saw last night”, he said.
“Let’s face it. Any police officer that has that kind of situation like that last night on their CV is probably not going to climb that greasy pole of promotion that they are all so desperate to do.”
Discussing the incident, “As the disorder escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires set.
“We continually assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large group.”
Gang of thugs overturn police car in Leeds as riots break out on streetTikTok/SnapchatTwiggs said a decision was made to temporarily withdraw officers when it became “evident that the police was their sole target”, in order to calm tensions.
He added: “Throughout the night several arrests were made in relation to the disorder and further arrests will be made over the next few days.”
A bus was set on fire and a police car was overturned as residents were warned to stay at home on Thursday night, with a large police presence and helicopters deployed to the area.
On Friday morning, four officers guarded the scene around a torched bus in Foundry Approach.
Some residents gathered to look at the damage, while a visibly emotional group of people believed to be linked to the initial incident sat on a patch of grass nearby.
