The Greater Manchester Police are naming and shaming rioters on their Twitter feed. “We promised we’d name all those convicted for their roles in the disorder — here we go …” the police announced, as they began listing the names, dates of birth and partial addresses of individuals tried in connection with the disorder, which flared across Britain.

“Eoin Flanagan (born 01/01/1983), of Carson Road, Burnage, jailed for eight months for stealing clothes,” read one post.

“Jason Ullett (born 15/10/72) of Woodward Court, Ancoats, sentenced to 10 weeks in prison for swearing at police officers,” read another.

And another: “Stefan Hoyle (born 27/01/1992) of St. Stephen Street, Salford, jailed for four months for theft after found with a stolen violin…”

The police department’s efforts received both praise and criticism, along with a few questions. The department explained that it released dates of birth so as to avoid confusion with individuals with the same name.

Both the Manchester and London police have also posted photo streams on the photo-sharing site Flickr and asked the public to help identify riot suspects…

The Manchester police seem to be keenly aware that they are treading on new territory. “Lot of debate about publishing details – courts very clear, justice should be done publicly,” read one of its recent posts on Twitter.

Legit or not? Deserved or not?




  1. turing machine says:

    10 weeks for swearing at a police officer? WTF?

  2. Dallas says:

    A very Castro Cuba thing to do but I can see the benefits. I’m not sure if this slippery slope government shaming is worth going down.

  3. chuck says:

    And here’s a complete list of all the people who have charged/convicted in the riots we had in Vancouver back in June (after the Canucks choked and lost the Stanley Cup):

    end of list.

  4. dadeo says:

    Assuming they won’t want on the list..

    How many kids will see the public listing as a badge of honor and try to get on it?

  5. spsffan says:

    It’s a matter of public record anyway, so who cares?

    But, I’m with #1. 10 weeks in prison for swearing at a police officer? What on earth did she say, “Dash my wig and whiskers?”

  6. Tom says:

    Arrested and sentenced in only a few days? That’s fast, maybe American judges and courts can learn from the Brits. We wait a year here and nothing has gotten done.

  7. duh365 says:

    What a terrific idea!
    Most “rioters” are cowards committing crimes because they assume they will remain anonymous among the crowds of people doing the same unlawful acts. This will either be a deterrent for future riots or ski masks will fly off the shelves.

  8. birddog says:

    All they are doing is teaching them how to riot better. It won’t be so easy for the police to identify them the next time, they will be more careful.

  9. scandihoovian says:

    Amazing what a bunch hoodlums with stolen smartphones can accomplish. Pants down and wide eyed, England.

  10. scandihoovian says:

    I think England’s police state rating should be downgraded to AA+.

  11. MasterLemming says:

    I think this is a great idea for something like this. The riots we just had where mainly unprovoked and where a large number of idiots stealing burn and causing general mayhem. People here are pissed so the police giving this stuff on twitter is just another way of letting people know who was involved. Most local papers will carry the info anyway but it’s just another way of showing something’s been done about it.
    #5 kids under the age of 16 I think it is can’t be named for the crimes the commit it the UK unless. With regard to them seeing it as a badge of honour though your defiantly right. Being involved in the riots will be like having an ASBO the two will probably go hand in hand as well for those that took part. Interesting thing is though a lot of parents have been handing their kids into the police for being involved in the riots.
    #5 the guy probably didn’t say much but like I said people are pissed and want to see those involved even if it was just for shouting abuse and riling up others punished. The guy probably won’t see the inside of a prison cell though.
    #6 not really small crimes like that here fly through the courts. Guy also probably plead guilty
    #7 fear not one of the wonderful new ideas that David Numpty Cameron has come up with is to look at and restrict the sales of full face masks, instead of you know looking at what happened rationally.

  12. TotallyLegitTwitterAccount says:

    John Smith (Born 01/01/1980) of East Hamptonshireton St, Salford, jailed for 30 days for looking at me funny.

    This is fun!

  13. bobbo, the evangelical anti-theist says:

    YOU KNOW: its too bad “we” don’t have the money to have a social scientist interview all the arrestees/detainees: why did you do it==with some expertise and a bit of time some details as to cause and solution might come out. What LITTLE bit of commentary I have seen has all been BS opinion reflecting ONLY the commentators bias rather than any connection to the facts of the case.

    Let me demonstrate my own bias: its a mix of things. JOBS keep people/kiddies off the street==just like schooling or the military or the priesthood. I can only wish that the destruction of property could be targeted to the Upper Class who think taxation in support of the social safety net is a form of slavery. It is in fact the lubricant allowing the social classes to slip by one another in daily intercourse. Neither side understands that so the poor destroy their OWN FRICKIN NEIGHBORHOODS instead of the gated communities that actually deserve this attention.

    So–I’d love to see what an expert would find out. Is this just random violence or actual class warfare?

    JarHead Hannity has his own ready bias==just as stoopid as my own. I’m just evening up the score.

  14. Someone says:

    Doesn’t this violate Twitter’s EULA or something?

  15. sargasso_c says:

    Were they all hoodlums then this would be a good thing,.

  16. bobbo, the evangelical anti-theist says:

    Legit or not? Deserved or not? /// Yes to both on conviction or plea.

    This is a one paragraph review saying respectable people just got caught up in the psychology of the mob as heightened by social media. You have to go to a few of the links to validate what otherwise could be read a a fluff piece.

    I think there is enough going on here for “real study.”

    http://newscientist.com/article/dn20778-london-unrest-uks-first-networked-riots.html

  17. Observer says:

    Live by the tweet, die by the tweet.

  18. Publius says:

    The government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches the whole people by its example.

    US Supreme Court Justice Brandeis

    IN other words, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

  19. Buzz Mega says:

    This raises more questions than it answers:

    How much jail time for spitting?

    Is it legal to chew gum and walk in the UK?

    Can you still think bad thoughts?

    If a particular policeman had accidentally killed a childhood friend, and was very sensitive to that issue, could you be jailed by reminding him in a relatively sarcastic way of the event?

    Can you be jailed by parodying?

  20. foobar says:

    #20 You want to search and seize people? Specifically young men?

    Gay.

  21. Zybch says:

    #19 “Is it legal to chew gum and walk in the UK?”

    The more appropriate question is ARE the type of people involved in the riots capable of doing both at the same time?

    How some of these idiots can even stand up by themselves is quite an achievement
    youtube.com/watch?v=ZUzuYoCkYAY

  22. MikeN says:

    Liberals can’t seem to get past supporting rioters and looters.

    Why did they do it? Because noone could stop them!

  23. msbpodcast says:

    Technology is neutral.

    It doesn’t care who it shames.

    One day its a cop exceeding his authority, the next its a rioter caught walking out through a busted shop window with his/her arms full of loot.

  24. Animby says:

    “Legit or not? Deserved or not?”

    A better question might be, Useful or Not?

    As reported above, it’s already public info and, further, friends and family of “Stefan Hoyle (born 27/01/1992) of St. Stephen Street” likely already know what happened to Stefan. Folks living in Liverpool, probably don’t care much about him.

    , Salford, jailed for four months for theft after found with a stolen violin…”

    The police department’s efforts received both praise and criticism, along with a few questions. The department explained that it released dates of birth so as to avoid confusion with individuals with the same name.

    Both the Manchester and London police have also posted photo streams on the photo-sharing site Flickr and asked the public to help identify riot suspects…

    The Manchester police seem to be keenly aware that they are treading on new territory. “Lot of debate about publishing details – courts very clear, justice should be done publicly,” read one of its recent posts on Twitter.

    However, some police officer, who could probably have been well-used on the streets, had (got?) to sit at a computer keyboard all day tweeting!

  25. Animby says:

    Editor: If you don’t mind, a cut and paste error in my post #25. Could you please delete everything from “,Salford” until the final paragraph?
    Thank you.

  26. What? says:

    This is total bullsheet.

    The conviction was made, and time will be served. (notice the period)

    Any further acts of ego, bluster, or revenge only weakens the legitimacy of the LOEs and courts.

    The governed are only governable when the they consent to the legitimacy of the government.

    This shows the Brits to be what I suspected, a bunch of head-up-their-arse morans.

    AND, it find it funny that the RINOs here are paising the neofacist expansion in government use of commercial systems to bully the public.

    HAR HAR!

  27. “Manchester coppers Tweet info on rioters”

    Meh. Similar to a rap sheet published in the local paper – only digital.

    As for the crimes & punishments, I think public floggings are useful against petulant parasites such as these…

  28. Faxon says:

    Completely legitimate. Court records are public. Jail bookings are public. Arrests are public.
    So what’s the big deal?
    Some folks here just don’t like ANYTHING police do. I don’t like many things, but this is not one of them.

  29. Glenn E. says:

    So what did England get for having all those cameras on every corner? The rioting still happens. Mainly a reaction of the “have-nots”, against the perceived “haves”. Though they dare not touch the Crown’s properties. There’s probably an army protecting the Royals and their castles. So they set fires to townships and loot shops. Basically the same thing that happened in America, back in the 1960s or 70s. All those street cameras aren’t going to stop anything. And they’re lousy at identifying anyone. It’s very vague and subjective. A good lawyer could beat the charge. But the poor can’t afford them. So they’ll be screwed by a false identification.

  30. Glenn E. says:

    Ya know, one of my relatives (a republican) thinks all this is being caused by the Muslims trying to take over the world. He listens to too much Fox News, I guess. And another, much older relation (also republican), thinks it’s the commies fomenting the unrest. What is it about being Republican in the USA, that makes them all brain damaged? Or at least very easily conned by lying bastards, like Rupert Murdock’s army of misinformation agents. Ya know, there ought to be prison terms for making crap up, and calling it news or journalism, that causes people to act violently against each other. But this crap has been going on since the American Civil war. And nobody is ever held accountable for it. But steal a blueprint of a secret weapon, and it’s high treason. Well shouldn’t selling lies as news and fact based opinion, be a kind of treason too. A treason of history. Because all this stuff gets recorded as if it were facts, when it rarely ever is. And taught to school kids for generations, without corrections, when the truth finally comes out.


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