Five arrested in dawn raids after Newcastle protest violence

Officers from Northumbria Police made five more arrests on Thursday, June 18, following the unacceptable behaviour from a number of people during protest activity in Newcastle on Saturday.

The men, aged 39, 42, 44, 51 and 55, were all arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and are currently in custody.

Assistant Chief Constable Scott Hall said: “The violent disorder we saw on Saturday was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“We have made it abundantly clear that anyone found to have been involved will be brought to justice.

“Since the weekend, a dedicated team have been working to identify those believed to have been involved, which has today resulted in a number of suspects being arrested.

“However, this activity is still very much ongoing – and we expect to be making more arrests in the very near future.

“My message to anyone who was involved in the disorder is a simple one – come forward and hand yourself in to police.”

Assistant Chief Constable Hall added: “The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy which the police uphold and facilitate.

“However, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime. At any future protest we will have officers on the ground looking to identify anyone involved in last week’s disorder.”

On the day, 14 people were arrested, mainly on suspicion of public order related offences. They have since been released under investigation.

As part of the ongoing investigation – named Operation Travis – officers are trawling through hours of CCTV and bodyworn camera footage.

They are now also appealing for anyone who may have images or footage from the day to get in touch.

If you have any footage or images visit www.mipp.police.uk and click on the Northumbria Police badge.

If you have any other information visit the ‘tell us something’ page on Northumbria Police’s website or call 101 quoting incident log 238 of June 13, 2020. Information can also be passed anonymously, via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.