Almost 400 arrested in week of riots as suspects appear in court

At least 378 arrests have been made after the past week of violence in the UK, police say, and suspects are beginning to appear in court

Government response: Keir Starmer says a "standing army" of specialist officers will be established to ensure they can respond to further violence

The prime minister also insists there will be enough space in jails to ensure those responsible "feel the full force of the law"

Southport victims: A week on from the Southport knife attack which sparked the violence, one child remains in hospital and all other patients have been discharged, Merseyside Police says

Travel advice: Meanwhile, Australia, Malaysia and Nigeria are advising their citizens to exercise caution when travelling in the UK

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney arrives at Edinburgh Central Mosque to meet community leaders

The first minister has been meeting the chief constable of Police Scotland after rioting in other parts of the UK in the past week.

There has been no such violence in Scotland, although police say they're closely monitoring the situation.

While visiting Edinburgh Central Mosque to meet community leaders, John Swinney says he wants members of all communities in Scotland to feel safe.

He says the chief constable assured him of a "sophisticated" intelligence operation, and so far no particular issues have been indentififed in Scotland.

One child remains in hospital a week on from the Southport attack and all other patients had been discharged, Merseyside Police says.

Three girls – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar – died after the knife attack at the Taylor Swift-themed event in the town.

Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens condemns violence against officers as "completely unacceptable".

He says this is a "challenging time for forces" who are carrying out their work "in the face of sustained violence and assaults".

“There have been a number of officers injured, some have been hospitalised after putting themselves in harm’s way to protect others, and I wish them a full recovery," he adds.

We've just had an update from the National Police Chiefs' Council, which says so far 378 arrests have been made over the past week in relation to the unrest.

The body's chair, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, says he expects that figure to rise each day as  forces continue to identify those involved and continue to apprehend those responsible".

He says work is "going on around the clock to do this".

In a statement, he adds: “I want to reassure the public that a united and robust policing response is in place across the country and we are doing all we can to tackle this disorder and keep you safe.

“All forces have been requested not only to increase the number of specialist resources in their local area, but to contribute to regional reserves, coordinated nationally."

Plymouth City Council is advising residents to stay away from the city centre due to concerns over planned demonstrations.

The central library and a multi-storey car park in the city centre will close early, the council says, with extra CCTV in operation and some buses rerouted.

Devon and Cornwall Police say it's increasing its presence in the city centre and is "fully prepared to respond to incidents of disorder".

People should consider staying away from the area "to ensure your safety", the city council adds.On Sunday night, rioters descended on a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, which has housed asylum seekers.

There's no doubt that there was already a simmering anger in some communities about migrants crossing the Channel in small boats and being accommodated in hotels.

There's also no doubt that anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim agitators like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known an Tommy Robinson, had poisoned the well of opinion in some areas with a mixture of propaganda and misinformation.

But there's also no doubt that the terrible events of Monday last week – in which three young girls were killed, and others seriously injured – did prove to be the trigger.

That started first of all with violence in Southport on Tuesday night and spread to this weekend with more violence, particularly at accommodation housing asylum seekers.

What's not clear yet is how easy it's going to be to stop further scenes of violence in the coming days. Trying to deal with the root of the anger is going to be quite difficult.

While I think everyone is hoping that the violence is going to stop, no one is quite sure that it's going to.

Downing Street has pushed back on comments from Elon Musk, in which he claimed "civil war is inevitable" following unrest in several UK cities over the weekend.

His comment was in response to a post on X blaming the riots on "the effects of mass migration and open borders".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson says "there's no justification for comments like that".

"What we've seen in this country is organised violent thuggery that has no place either on our streets, or online," the spokesperson adds."We're talking about a minority of thugs that do not speak for Britain.

Here's a clip from earlier – when Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley was leaving the government's emergency Cobra meeting.

The Met Police say Rowley was "in a hurry" to return to work when he appeared to grab a Sky journalist's microphone and drop it on the ground outside the cabinet office in Whitehall.

He'd just been asked whether forces are "going to end two-tier policing" – which is where some protests are considered to be dealt with more harshly than others.

Defendants have started to appear in court today in relation to the riots that have shaken the country.They include Adam Wharton, 28, who pleaded guilty to burgling the Spellow Hub community centre in Liverpool.

Prosecutor Joshua Sanderson-Kirk said Wharton was found wearing a balaclava and “profusely sweating”.

Wharton was warned there is a "real possibility" he could face a jail sentence when he is sentenced on 29 August.

Meanwhile, Josh Kellett, 29, admitted violent disorder following the unrest in Sunderland on Friday The court heard he was wearing a balaclava but was identified by his "distinctive tattoos".

Hundreds of arrests have been made in relation to violent disorder over the past week, and while charges are coming in dribs and drabs, courts appear to be responding relatively swiftly.

Australia's government has updated its travel advice for the UK, advising its citizens to "exercise a high degree of caution".

"Avoid areas where protests are occurring due to the potential for disruption and violence. Monitor the media for information and updates. Follow the instructions of local authorities," it says in its latest advice.

Earlier, Malaysia and Nigeria had become the first countries to issue a UK travel warning in the aftermath of the unrest seen over the weekend. Read more about that in our earlier post here.

Mohammed Idris, the owner of Bash café in Belfast, says he's closing down after it was burnt out during the disorder over the weekend.

He says he feels his life is threatened after the attack on his business.

"It's not easy to stay here – more for my life, my safety, I can't try over and over again with the same result", says Idris.

During Saturday’s unrest, Idris says a group of people shouted his name and smashed the windows of his café before setting it alight.

“For me it’s not easy – it is so difficult when they know your name. It’s scary, my life is threatened. A group of people coming, shouting my name.”

Living in Belfast since 2002, he says the community are “good and kind people. Unfortunately a few people have let us down – but most people are very, very kind".

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