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The police and the Government today became embroiled in a bitter exchange as a senior police chief said the role of politicians in dealing with the riots was 'irrelevant'.Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, argued that police not politicians deserved the credit for tackling the unrest across the country.
He was speaking after David Cameron criticised the police for not deploying enough officers and adopting a policy of standing off during the first two nights of disturbances.
Senior politicians were away on holiday when the riots erupted and it took them a number of days to return as the scale of the violence sank in.
'The fact that politicians chose to come back is an irrelevance in terms of the tactics that were by then developing,' Sir Hugh told Newsnight.
'The more robust policing tactics you saw were not a function of political interference; they were a function of the numbers being available to allow the chief constables to change their tactics.'
Asked if budget cuts would reduce public safety, he said it would 'inevitably' lead to fewer police officers and make the job more difficult.
'We need to have some very honest conversations with Government about what we stop doing if we are to maintain front line service delivery at current levels,' he said.
His intervention came after an apparent dig at senior figures such as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary by acting Met chief Tim Godwin who said comments were being made by people 'who weren't there'.
Mr Godwin and Sir Hugh both rejected criticism of police conduct as they left a meeting with ministers at Whitehall this morning.
When asked how he felt about criticism levelled at Scotland Yard, Mr Godwin said: 'I think after any event like this, people will always make comments who weren't there.'
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, retaliating - insisting it was the Prime Minister who had stamped his authority on a key committee as it tackled the crisis.
He told Sky News: 'I never had any doubt who was in charge of that meeting and that was the Prime Minister.'
Mr Cameron later insisted police and politicians had worked together to come up with the right strategy.
On a visit for a fire station in Salford, he said: 'Clearly there was a need for more on the street, there was a need to change tactics and I think it's right that police took those decisions and changed those tactics, and increased the number of police officers.
'Where I think the Government and the police worked well together was through the Cobra emergency planning committee.
'What I think that does is it helps the police by showing that there was political backing for the changes they wanted to make.'
Sir Hugh has been touted as a favourite to be the next Met Commissioner but he has on a number of occasions clashed with Cameron over policy issues.
The arguments between politicians and police have developed after there were widespread calls for tougher action in dealing with the riots.
Senior politicians criticised delays in police arriving at trouble spots and claims that they sometimes appeared powerless to act in the face of some of the disturbances.
Mr Cameron returned early from his holiday in Italy on Monday night and then on Tuesday called for police to be tougher in their response.
He announced the number of officers on the streets of the capital would rise from 6,000 to 16,000 in a bid to stamp out escalating lawlessness.
He was critical again yesterday when he addressed an emergency sitting of the House of Commons.
The comments came as officers and politicians held more talks after the death toll from the violent disorder that swept across England rose to five.
Mr Cameron chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee this morning after vowing to do 'whatever it takes' to restore order to the streets.
In an emergency statement to the recalled House of Commons yesterday, he set out a range of moves being examined in response to the situation - including the use of curfews and temporary curbs on the use of social media.
Mr Godwin said he was receiving support 'from a lot of quarters' when asked whether he was receiving the full backing of the Home Secretary.
'What I can say is that with the unprecedented scenes that we found in London, I have got some of the best commanders that we have seen in the world... that showed great restraint as well as great courage,' Mr Godwin added.
'As a result of that, we were able to nip this in the bud after a few days. I think the issue around the numbers, the issue around the tactics - they are all police decisions and they are all made by my police commanders and myself.
'As a result of that, we have now got a lot of public support, we are working hard to identify all the offenders, and we will continue to work relentlessly if it takes us months.'
Scotland Yard said by 7am this morning, 1,051 people had been arrested by the force in connection with violence, disorder and looting and 591 people had been charged.
He was speaking after David Cameron criticised the police for not deploying enough officers and adopting a policy of standing off during the first two nights of disturbances.
Senior politicians were away on holiday when the riots erupted and it took them a number of days to return as the scale of the violence sank in.
Row: David Cameron has criticised the police response to riots. But senior police chief Sir Hugh Orde has
responded by saying politicians were 'irrelevant' during the crisis
'The fact that politicians chose to come back is an irrelevance in terms of the tactics that were by then developing,' Sir Hugh told Newsnight.
'The more robust policing tactics you saw were not a function of political interference; they were a function of the numbers being available to allow the chief constables to change their tactics.'
Asked if budget cuts would reduce public safety, he said it would 'inevitably' lead to fewer police officers and make the job more difficult.
'We need to have some very honest conversations with Government about what we stop doing if we are to maintain front line service delivery at current levels,' he said.
His intervention came after an apparent dig at senior figures such as the Prime Minister and Home Secretary by acting Met chief Tim Godwin who said comments were being made by people 'who weren't there'.
Strong: Riot police in Manchester walk past a burning building in the city centre. Police there were widely credited with being effective in dealing with looters
Tense: Riot police in Hackney face off a mob. In London, the police response to the unrest has been criticised
When asked how he felt about criticism levelled at Scotland Yard, Mr Godwin said: 'I think after any event like this, people will always make comments who weren't there.'
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, retaliating - insisting it was the Prime Minister who had stamped his authority on a key committee as it tackled the crisis.
He told Sky News: 'I never had any doubt who was in charge of that meeting and that was the Prime Minister.'
Mr Cameron later insisted police and politicians had worked together to come up with the right strategy.
On a visit for a fire station in Salford, he said: 'Clearly there was a need for more on the street, there was a need to change tactics and I think it's right that police took those decisions and changed those tactics, and increased the number of police officers.
'Where I think the Government and the police worked well together was through the Cobra emergency planning committee.
'What I think that does is it helps the police by showing that there was political backing for the changes they wanted to make.'
Sir Hugh has been touted as a favourite to be the next Met Commissioner but he has on a number of occasions clashed with Cameron over policy issues.
The arguments between politicians and police have developed after there were widespread calls for tougher action in dealing with the riots.
Senior politicians criticised delays in police arriving at trouble spots and claims that they sometimes appeared powerless to act in the face of some of the disturbances.
Mr Cameron returned early from his holiday in Italy on Monday night and then on Tuesday called for police to be tougher in their response.
He announced the number of officers on the streets of the capital would rise from 6,000 to 16,000 in a bid to stamp out escalating lawlessness.
He was critical again yesterday when he addressed an emergency sitting of the House of Commons.
Flames: Riot police surround a burning vehicle during the height of the riots earlier this week in Hackney
Free for all: A looter escapes with a pair of jeans from a Carhartt store in Hackney , and right, thieves climb through the window of the damaged building
Mr Cameron chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee this morning after vowing to do 'whatever it takes' to restore order to the streets.
In an emergency statement to the recalled House of Commons yesterday, he set out a range of moves being examined in response to the situation - including the use of curfews and temporary curbs on the use of social media.
Mr Godwin said he was receiving support 'from a lot of quarters' when asked whether he was receiving the full backing of the Home Secretary.
'What I can say is that with the unprecedented scenes that we found in London, I have got some of the best commanders that we have seen in the world... that showed great restraint as well as great courage,' Mr Godwin added.
'As a result of that, we were able to nip this in the bud after a few days. I think the issue around the numbers, the issue around the tactics - they are all police decisions and they are all made by my police commanders and myself.
'As a result of that, we have now got a lot of public support, we are working hard to identify all the offenders, and we will continue to work relentlessly if it takes us months.'
Scotland Yard said by 7am this morning, 1,051 people had been arrested by the force in connection with violence, disorder and looting and 591 people had been charged.
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