Phone Snooping 'prevented Riot'

Police say they prevented attacks by rioters on the Olympic site and London's Oxford Street after picking up comprehension on amicable networks.

Assistant Met Police Commissioner Lynne Owens told a cabinet of MPs officers schooled of probable difficulty around Twitter and Blackberry messenger.

But Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin mentioned he had deliberate asking authorities to switch off amicable networks.

He mentioned they supposing comprehension but could moreover be misleading.

A number of politicians, media commentators and members of the military force have referred to that Twitter and Blackberry Messenger (BBM) had a purpose to fool around in the riots.

The BBM network is renouned amid many young people since it is both in isolation and secure - users are invited to come together any other's contacts list using a unique PIN, nonetheless once they have completed so, messages may be distributed to considerable groups.

Ms Owens mentioned officers had been attempting to differentiate by an "overwhelming" amount of "chitter chatter" on amicable networks during final week's riots in London, but a few had valid vital.

"Through Twitter and BBM there was comprehension that the Olympic site, that both Westfields [shopping centres] and Oxford Street were truly going to be targeted," she told the home affairs choose committee.

"We were able to secure all the places and truly there was no damage at any of them."

Mr Godwin mentioned that on Monday, when disorder expansion to 22 of London's 32 boroughs, military were reception a new square of comprehension every second.

And whilst ample of the data forthcoming around amicable media "was clearly incorrect and rsther than silly", he mentioned military did deliberate perplexing to close the networks down to be able to stop them being used to organize serve violence.

"We did contemplate, we contemplated, asking the authorities to switch it off. The legality of that is really controversial and additionally, it is moreover a really utilitarian comprehension asset," he said.

"So, as a outcome of that, we did not solicit that that was incited off, but it is something that we are embarking as segment of our inquisitive strategy."

Blackberry has offering to co-operate with military questioning the riots - call attacks by hackers upset that the firm could be ready to palm over user data to authorities.

Asked what Blackberry's co-operation would involve, Mr Godwin asked to "plead the fifth", adding: "I would rsther than not answer that subject as it is an inquisitive strategy."

Sir Hugh Orde, boss of the Association of Chief Police Officers, that played a key purpose in coordinating the Met's response, mentioned the riots were "fundamentally different" from the arrange of disorder he and the rest of the military force had ever dealt with before.

He told the cabinet the hostility was "multi-site" and "far more spontaneous", and there was roughly "non-existent pre-intelligence" that could have helped military succeed things differently.

Sir Hugh moreover shielded the way military resources were managed, insisting there was "a flattering seamless working of the system" that was able to encounter all the requests made for extra resources.

The comparison officers were asked about an strong squabble that pennyless out between the military and comparison ministers over who was accountable for bringing about the overload in executive figures that returned composed to London.

Mr Godwin insisted that the important apportion and home personal assistant had been "very supportive" and any differences between them were "overplayed".

"Sometimes the notice of us at loggerheads is not helpful," he added.