A head count revealed that all officers were present apart from two pairs. As they were loaded onto the vehicles, things grew ugly. The crowd swarmed and shoved, and someone threw a bottle, which smashed on the bonnet of a van. The doors were locked and word came through that Superintendent Ormond had given Armed Response the go-ahead. Officers kept their heads down and clung to seat backs as their vehicles shook with the sheer force of the crowd. Finally they were moving. One van and a squad car headed to the playground where two colleagues were surrounded, and the rest of the vehicles were told to rendezvous at the entrance to the estate and wait. The sounds of a mob gathering could be heard crackling over the radios. Officers bit their nails.

‘Op Eagle vehicle 247 approaching south playground. Approximately one hundred agitated residents, all ages. Repeat, approximately one hundred agitated residents. Situation critical.’

The vehicles bumped over the uneven roads and the atmosphere was charged with electric tension. The shouting at the playground was still at a level that, with experience, could be classed as non-threatening, but the number of officers present versus the size of the crowd made it a grave state of affairs. The order came through for the rest of the vehicles to divert to the scene. Resources were diverted to the growing crowd at the playground.

It seemed to take the convoy hours to get there, but it was in fact only around three minutes before they pulled around the corner and spotted the children’s play area, overrun with angry residents of all ages, some old, some young; children as well as families. The real concern was that they couldn’t see their fellow officers.

A warning was shouted from somewhere in the crowd, and suddenly the mob began to dissipate as if a bomb had gone off in the middle of them. Officers fought their way against the tide of residents eager to get away. People jumped the railings and others filed out of the three gates. A great roar rose and the crowd began to run. Children were trampled and women screamed. Officers had no idea whether to make arrests or save the people being crushed. It was a disaster. No one knew who’d caused the panic. Men in masks and hoodies slipped away, protected by women and children.

Three armed-response vehicles turned up and officers spilled out of them, weapons cocked and shouting warnings. The few people left in the play area froze and held up their hands. Some dropped to the floor, and were quickly apprehended with cable ties and handcuffs.