UK's top prosecutor brands week of violence 'a national emergency'

Asked whether some offenders may be charged under terrorism laws, Stephen Parkinson confirmed: "there is that potential, yes"

The UK's most senior prosecutor has declared the ongoing riots across the UK a "national emergency," urging swift and decisive action must be taken to target offenders.

In an interview with ITV News, the Director of Public Prosecution Stephen Parkinson said "justice must be done" to restore order and hold those responsible accountable.

The unrest, marked by widespread violence against police and anti-immigration sentiments, has gripped several major cities across the UK and Northern Ireland across the past seven days.

As tensions continue to escalate, Mr Parkinson said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will take "swift and robust action" to bring stringent sentences against those involved

"The system is under enormous pressure, I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

"In circumstances such as these, which amount to a national emergency, all of us across the criminal justice are working together, raising the level of performance and finding the resources to serve the public in the way they expect us to."

When questioned over his terming of the situation as a 'national emergency', Mr Parkinson said: "The scenes we've seen over the last few days justify that description and justify the swift and robust action we're taking as a result."

Police have reported some of the violence was incited online, with inflammatory posts and coordinated efforts on social media platforms playing a significant role in the unrest.

When Mr Parkinson was asked about how the criminal justice system intends to deal with these individuals, he said: "If we know where they are and they are in the UK, then clearly arrests can be made."

He explained the CPS has a team of lawyers across the globe who are working with local authorities to deal with individuals outside of the country.

"There's no way to hide for people planning this sort of activity".

Asked whether Tommy Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - would be among those on that list of offenders, Mr Parkinson said: "I think Tommy Robinson should be very careful about the language he is using and should be very worried about what he's said so far."

Robinson has been tweeting prolifically since the unrest began from a luxury hotel in Cyprus.

Mr Parkinson added: "But I'm not going to go into details about particular cases."

More than 400 people have now been arrested in the wake of disorder around the country, according to police sources, with the number expected to continue to rise in the coming days.

Mr Parkinson said this has produced an estimated 100 charges, with the remaining 300 released on bail pending further investigation.

Asked whether some offenders may be charged under terrorism laws, Mr Parkinson confirmed: "there is that potential, yes".

"If certain elements are in place, if behaviour of this kind is motivated by ideology or political persuasion, it's designed to intimate the public, there's an element of planning, we will definitely consider terrorism offences and those can result in even stiffer sentences."

Probed over whether the definition of a terrorism offence has been met in some of the instances being brought to courts across, Mr Parkinson said "it is too soon to say".

But, he added: "The most serious examples of criminality will be met by the most serious charges."

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