London - Rioters who thought they had got away with looting in Britain's second city of Birmingham were in for a surprise Friday as police broadcast CCTV pictures of their faces on a big screen right across town.
A van carrying a six-metre square display unit broadcasting more than 50 CCTV images will travel around Birmingham for the next two days, stopping at key central locations to allow residents to get a good look at the suspects' faces.
“This is the first time a van of this type has been used to display multiple images of people wanted by the police,” said Acting Detective Inspector Mark Rushton as he launched the scheme on Thursday.
“We've already had a fantastic response to the public who have been calling the special information line or emailing us. We've taken over 500 calls which are helping us make arrests.
“Photographs of those wanted by us have appeared in the media but we are determined to use every means available to us to bring suspected offenders to justice.”
Police across England have published CCTV pictures of those suspected of looting shops and restaurants in London and other major cities during four days of unprecedented rioting earlier this week.
More than 1 500 people have been arrested so far and more than 500 charged. The courts have been sitting all night to process the cases, and several people have already been convicted and sent to jail. - Sapa-AFP