Police commissioners could see households and businesses claiming for compensation of up to £1 million in the aftermath of riots erupting across the UK.
Questions about legal protection have been raised after several days of violent disorder in towns and cities including Liverpool, Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Hull.
Properties and shops including Shoe Zone, Sainsbury’s, Lush and Greggs are among those believed to have been targeted by people damaging, looting and setting fire to buildings.
Damage at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where anti-immigration rioters smashed the windows before starting fires on Sunday (Dave Higgens/PA)
PA Wire
In Rotherham, anti-immigration rioters smashed the windows of the Holiday Inn Express before starting fires.
Under the Riot Compensation Act, victims of damage, destruction and theft can claim for riot compensation if their home, business property, or possessions were not adequately insured.
For most of England and Wales, the Police and Crime Commissioners – elected officials who oversee local policing – in the area where riots took place will foot the bill for eligible claims, according to government guidance.
In London, the claims authorities are the mayor’s office or police authorities.
Costs can be covered in the form of compensation payments, or repairs paid for by the claims authority, including for some insured cars.
Government guidance says potential victims should immediately contact police in the aftermath of a riot, and do not need to work out straight away what their losses might be.
Insurance companies can also make a claim to be reimbursed after paying out in full or in part for people affected by riot damage.
Meanwhile, the definition of rioting could be important when it comes to future payouts.
Police outside The Swatters Carr following a disturbance at the pub during an anti-immigration protest in Middlesbrough (Owen Humphreys/PA)
PA Wire
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned that people will “regret taking part in this disorder” and said he “won’t shy away from what it is: far-right thuggery”.
In a speech in Downing Street, he likened the events to rioting in 2011 when he was working as the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He stressed it is “violence” and “not protests” that is sweeping the streets.
However, guidance on the Government website notes that “not all instances of damage or loss that occur during a period of civil disturbance will meet the criteria for compensation” under the riot regulations.
