David Cameron is facing growing cabinet pressure to rethink the coalition's policing cuts after three young Birmingham men were killed when a car ploughed into them during violent disturbances in the city. The deaths of Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, have heightened concerns about the impact of planned £2bn reductions in police funding over the next few years.
A senior government source said the Home Office would be advised to take a fresh look at its plans, adding: 'The optics have changed.' The Police Federation warned of a 'catastrophe' if similar riots erupted after the cuts were introduced. London mayor Boris Johnson also urged the government against cutting numbers, saying the case for cuts had been 'substantially weakened'.
The three men were part of a group of around 80 guarding a petrol station and shops from looters in Winson Green when they were hit by a car in the early hours of Wednesday. A murder inquiry has been launched, and a 32-year-old man is being questioned. Witnesses reported that four carloads of young African-Caribbean men had cruised down Dudley Road, with one saying: 'The driver went on to the pavement and rammed them. He knew what he was doing.'
Haroon's father, Tariq Jahan, made an emotional appeal for calm, revealing he had desperately tried to resuscitate his son. 'I ran towards the commotion and the first guy I found was someone I didn't know. I started giving him CPR until someone pointed out that the guy behind me was my son on the floor,' he said. 'He was trying to help his community and he has been killed.'
In a message to the community, Jahan implored: 'Today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm, for our communities to stand united. This is not a race issue. Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another?' The Bishop of Aston, the Rt Rev Andrew Watson, warned of events 'potentially having an ugly race dimension' after a heated meeting at a mosque.
Cameron is expected to announce emergency funding to cover the extra costs of policing this week's riots when he addresses the Commons on Thursday. However, there are fears in Whitehall that the Home Office plan to make savings could leave an 'exposed flank' in any future riots.
