Eleven officers and police dog injured in ‘terrifying’ violence in Southampton

1:41 Protesters clash with police in Southampton over Henry Nowak murder – video Eleven officers and police dog injured in ‘terrifying’ violence in Southampton Chief of Hampshire police says those claiming to protest over murder of Henry Nowak were ‘determined to spark fear and division’ UK politics live: latest news updates Eleven officers and a police dog were injured during disorder by those claiming to protest over Henry Nowak’s murder , the chief of Hampshire police said, accusing those involved of being “determined to spark fear and division”. Keir Starmer condemns riots in Southampton after Henry Nowak murder Read more A trail of destruction was left on the streets of Southampton after Tuesday night’s riot with car windows smashed and bricks strewn across roads. The evening had begun relatively peacefully outside Southampton central police station but turned ugly when hundreds of people marched across the city to the neighbourhood where 18-year-old Nowak died and where his killer, Vickrum Digwa, lived. Protesters hurled bricks, wheelie bins, bottles and beer cans at police as officers in riot gear stopped them reaching Digwa’s family home. View image in fullscreen People help to clean up in the aftermath of the riots on St Denys Road in Southampton. Photograph: Andrew Croft/Solent News & Photo Agency/Solent News The chief constable of Hampshire police, Alexis Boon, said on Wednesday that 11 officers and a police dog had been injured doing their job “to protect the communities that we serve”. “What we, as a society, cannot accept is the violent scenes we saw in Southampton last night,” he said. “Some clearly arrived intent on causing disorder and trouble. We saw bottles thrown, makeshift weapons used, damage caused to the homes and vehicles of innocent residents and threats and violence directed towards our officers. “While we are forced to deal with those determined to spark fear and division, our finite resources are taken away from those who need it most.” Boon said experienced officers would remain on the streets to keep the community safe in the coming days. He promised to bring those involved in violence on Tuesday evening to justice and said there had been two arrests. The Labour leader of Southampton city council, Sarah Bogle, said she believed a number of people had arrived in the city from elsewhere for Tuesday’s demonstration. “They were pretty awful scenes last night and very unwelcome to see that level of disturbance in what is normally a very quiet neighbourhood,” she said. “It’s very very distressing to see what’s happened and it’s such an awful tragedy and I really want to respect and support the principles of Henry Nowak’s family’s wishes to dial down the rhetoric, dial down the tensions, and keep the peace and keep people safe and to honour his memory. “It’s a huge tragedy for him and his family and it’s awful when these tragedies are weaponised by people who should know better, whether it’s politicians or the far right. I