Cameron backs police “fightback”

David Cameron insisted the “fightback” by police was succeeding today after a fourth night of rioting across the country.

The Prime Minister said a “more robust approach” by Scotland Yard last night had prevented a repeat of the worst trouble.

He also said operations were going on to pick up suspects who had been identified using CCTV images.

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Some 750 people have been arrested since Saturday, and 160 charged, he added.

Speaking in Downing Street after London mayor Boris Johnson raised concerns about the coalition’s cuts to police budgets, Mr Cameron said senior officers had reassured him this morning that they had the resources they need.

“We will not do anything that will reduce the amount of visible policing on our streets,” he insisted.

The Premier, who had chaired a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergency committee to assess the situation, said: “We needed a fightback, and a fightback is under way.

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“We have seen the worst of Britain, but I also believe we have seen some of the best of Britain - the million people who have signed up on Facebook to support the police, coming together in the clean-up operations.”

Mr Cameron said more arrests would take place as police sift through the mass of evidence they have accumulated.

“Picture by picture, the criminals are being identified and arrested,” he said.