What is a riot?

What is a riot? According to law, a riot is where 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his or her personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot. Only persons who do anything are guilty of riot, so you could prosecute just 1 person as long as you can prove another 11 were threatening but didn’t physically do anything. They would then still be guilty of other public order offences. A person guilty of riot is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a fine, or both. Facts • Under the 1886 Riot (Damages) Act, anyone who has property or buildings damaged in a riot can request a payout from their local police force, with no limit on how much can be claimed, but the rules state this must be done within 14 days. • Most insurance policies will require a claim within a week with full supporting documentation if it is under riot or civil unrest, which will cover the majority of claims for the recent rioting, this is to enable the insurer the 14 day timescale for them to then claim from the police. • The government has not yet declared that any of the disturbances over the past few days were “a riot” but most insurance policies also cover civil commotion as standard. • Following recent events the ABI (Association of British Insurers) have met with the home secretary and asked that the claim period be extended to 42 days to give homeowners and businesses chance to find out about the scheme and work out exactly how much they need to claim. • Anyone affected by the riots could also apply for a crisis loan to help them meet daily expenses while claims are settled. These loans from the government are designed to help people in emergencies. You will have to pay a crisis loan back but you will not have to pay interest. • The ABI (Association of British Insurers) is currently putting the cost to the industry of recent events at “tens of millions of pounds Source ; Alexia Howes  Business Insurance , Manager www.Exeid.com 0115 9477565