Officers have made ten arrests, following an incident on Friday 15 September 2023 at Duke of York Gardens, Grimsby.
At around 10.55pm on Friday 15 September, Police Officers attended Duke of York Gardens, Grimsby alongside Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.
Their attendance was in response to reports that a number of people were gathering at the location, acting disorderly and setting items on fire. A vigil was being held for a 16-year-old boy who was killed after a collision with a bus while he was cycling on Monday.
Upon arrival, some of those present started to throw items towards the officers, their police van and the fire service car.
Deputy Chief Constable David Marshall said: “Late on Friday evening it became clear that a small minority of people were intent on remaining in Duke of York Gardens, Grimsby to cause disruption to a local community which was still grieving the loss of a friend and a loved one.
“Despite repeated directions from officers to leave the area, the minority did not, and then directed their harm towards our officers throwing items including bricks and wood.
“We will not allow the actions of a few to taint the support and respect demonstrated by the majority of people who came together and attended Duke of York Gardens on Friday afternoon.
“Throughout Saturday 16 September officers and staff from across Humberside Police, alongside teams from North East Lincolnshire Council, have pursed a number of lines of enquiry and have arrested ten people on suspicion of Violent Disorder.
“While our investigation remains in its early stages, I want to be clear that we will not tolerate behaviour which bring distress and harm to our local communities as well as our hard working and dedicated officers and staff.
“We are absolutely committed to keeping our communities and our people safe – and this will always be our priority. To those involved, your actions and behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We will work tirelessly to identify all those involved and ensure those responsible are held to account for their behaviour.
“Earlier this week we launched Operation Shield, and these latest 10 arrests build on our earlier 27, demonstrating our ongoing relentless and unwavering pursuit of those who are intent on causing harm to local residents, businesses, and wider communities. We will not stand by and let criminal behaviour such as this go unchallenged.
“Over the days ahead, there will be an increased presence of highly visible police patrols in and around Duke of York Gardens. I want to reassure local residents that we recognise the impact an incident of this nature can have, and while they are rare, we will continue to work closely with our partners from North East Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, and the wider community to ensure that people feel safe and that any criminal behaviour is dealt with quickly and robustly.
“I would like to thank the wider West Marsh community for their support as we continue our enquiries and we would appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident on Friday evening who could assist with our enquires, to please contact us on our non-emergency number 101, quoting log 419 of 15 September. Any CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage that may assist us can be uploaded here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)”
(Source: Humberside Police)
(Images: Ben Smith)
