Britain police failed to anticipate intensity of Southport disorder in 2024: Report

The report stated that this failure in policing compromised the ability of law enforcement to conduct proactive operations and exposed officers to significant risk.

The report noted the lack of resilience in the coordination of the national police response to localized disorder, which weakened the overall effectiveness of the response, Xinhua news agency reported. The committee urged the government to address these shortcomings through its planned policing reforms, referring to the recent Labour government's initiatives aimed at reducing crime.

The criminal justice system also failed to keep pace with the "social media age". According to the report, contempt of court rules restricted the release of information, creating "an information vacuum that allowed disinformation to flourish". Additionally, the report noted that lengthy court backlogs continue to delay justice in the system.

"Lessons must be learned from how the whole criminal justice system worked together. It will need to ensure that police forces can improve how they deal with regular policing work as well as supporting them to develop capacity to respond to crisis," said Dame Karen Bradley, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.

The Southport stabbing triggered one of the most severe outbreaks of social disorder in recent British history. According to the report, 246 incidents were recorded, 88 of which were classified as significant. By January 22, 2025, the unrest had led to 1,804 arrests and 1,072 charges, most of them for serious public order offenses.