Frank Dobson’s fury at Met’s decision to label Camden riots a ‘disorder’

Published: September 1, 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY

FRANK Dobson said last night (Wednesday) that businesses in Chalk Farm and Camden Town are being frozen out of making compensation claims because police lawyers do not class last month’s disorder as a full-blown “riot”.

He has written to Home Secretary Theresa May calling for her to make sure shops attacked during the night of unprecedented vandalism and looting in NW1 are helped out.

The Met is taking the line that it was “disorder” but not a “riot” – and therefore claims shops do not qualify for compensation fund money, Mr Dobson said. 

His letter added: “To local people this looked like a riot, smelled like a riot and sounded like a riot. So no mean-minded police lawyers burbling on about the small print will convince them that it wasn’t a riot.”

The Holborn and St Pancras MP had prevously secured a pledge from Ms May that businesses would be speedily compensated.

Evans Bicycle Shop in Chalk  Farm Road suffered some of the worst looting. With its windows smashed and bikes stolen, the shop became a symbol of the Camden riots.

Protective chipboards on the shopfront were painted rainbow colours by police cadets in a bid to cheer everybody up over the weekend – and yesterday in the biggest sign that Chalk Farm Road is fully up and running again new windows were installed.