Greater Manchester Police chief Peter Fahy has said that rioting in Manchester could have been prevented if police in London had acted sooner.
The Police chief told BBC Panorama that copycat violence broke out after people saw rioters were “getting away with” their behaviour in the capital.
Mr Fahy said: “A certain group of people saw what was happening in London and decided they seemed to be getting away with it.
“The authorities weren’t in control and they decided they wanted their opportunity.”
He was explaining why 100 Greater Manchester Police officers were sent to London when rioting and looting was breaking out closer to home.
“We knew what was absolutely critical was that there needed to be control of London. Because that was just creating more and more copycat violence up here.”
Mr Fahy added: “I think you’d have to say with hindsight if London had been under control sooner we probably would not have faced the problems in Manchester.”
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, defended the actions of the Met.
“I think any police force in the world would have found it extremely difficult to cope with the rapidly escalating violence that we experienced in London,” he said.
He added: “Peter Fahy is a man who is held in high regard and respect and somebody we should listen to, but the officers in London did a magnificent job, putting their lives on the line to protect their communities.”
“It took 16,000 officers to actually get the riots under control and there were officers from all around the country.
“I don’t think anybody expected to see the disorder escalate so rapidly and become so widespread.”
More than 3,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, including 350 in Manchester.
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