TWENTY
photographs of men suspected of taking
part in "ferocious" clashes with police
during recent riots in Bradford have
been released. More than 300 officers
were injured in violent disturbances in
the West Yorkshire city on July
7.Injuries ranged from cuts and
bruises to broken limbs. Detective
Chief Superintendent Max McLean,
who is leading the inquiry, has also
released police video footage of the
disturbances. As pictures of 20
suspects were released, Mr McLean
said:
"These people are not just faces in
the crowd. These people committed
crimes. All we need is a name and we
will track them down and arrest
them.
"When
I saw the film, I was moved by the
severity of it. It is film from police
evidence-gathering teams just behind
the police lines.
"My first thought was that I want to
release this to the media before anyone
else sees it, even police
officers."
The video shows officers lying on
the floor injured, missiles and petrol
bombs being hurled at the police, and
cars set on fire. The graphic evidence
also shows lines of officers being
pelted constantly with bricks.
Frantic shouts of "medic" can be
heard at one point by concerned
colleagues after one officer was hit by
a missile. Mr McLean said: "It must
have been a horrendous experience for
these officers. These were officers who
normally work on the beat - not riot
police - who were given protective
equipment to wear."