South Yorkshire Police officers given 'trauma counselling' after Manvers disorder last summer
More than 60 police officers were hurt on August 4th 2024 during the riots
South Yorkshire's Police Federation tell us the officers at the Manvers riots last summer should be considered 'superheroes'.
It comes as a report is due out today on how police across the country handled the public disorder after the Southport attacks.
This led to a hotel housing asylum seekers in Wath-Upon-Dearne being targeted by hundreds of protesters last August.
The Chair of South Yorkshire's Police Fed is Steve Kent - He says what happened in 2024 has had a long-lasting impact:
"I've spoken to officers who were at the Bradford riots and the London riots, and they said this was on a totally different scale, which left them scared for their lives.
"We've also dealt with as a federation a number of serious, physical injuries to our officers, while many have had to receive trauma counselling off the back of it.
"Yes, I think the force will learn from what happened, but this incident escalated quicker than anybody could've imagined.
"We should never lose sight of how our brave officers helped to save lives in the riots last summer.
"The sheer hostility took everybody by surprise, and intelligence was quite limited beforehand."
Over 80 people have since been jailed for their part in the disorder, while more than 60 police officers were injured on the day itself.