Police chiefs appealed for calm today after sales-crazed shoppers sparked a wave of Black Friday disorder and violence.
Bargain hunters were accused of behaving like animals as they fought over computers, coffee machines, hair-dryers and games consoles. In extraordinary scenes, men and women of all ages struggled to fought to secure deals in the sales frenzy imported from the US.
Tugs of war broke out over TVs and shoppers took advantage by lying on top of goods to stop them being snatched by rivals. Police and medical staff were called in to deal with the disorder and injuries at Tesco and Asda stores. At least three arrests were made. There were fears the disorder will continue today and into Monday as retailers roll out more offers.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police said the terrible scenes yesterday were “totally predictable”. Sir Peter Fahy added: “I’m disappointed stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty. This created situations where we had to deal with crushing, disorder and disputes between customers. Across Greater Manchester large supermarkets already make significant demands on policing through calls to shoplifting, anti-social behavior and thefts of fuel from their petrol stations – much of which is preventable. We just ask these stores to work with us to reduce the demands on policing and reduce the risks of disorder and crime.”
A post on the Manchester force’s Twitter feed read: “Keep calm, people!” Its officers made two arrests for public order offences. The force said it would not be placing officers to stores. Record numbers of shoppers are expected on high streets today and Visa predicts online sales will top £518million – the highest daily figure ever.
Retailers, especially supermarkets, increased the Black Friday madness with reductions of up to 70 per cent – attracting huge crowds when they opened their doors just after midnight.
Police were called to at least 14 stores across Greater Manchester, London, Wales and Scotland. The angry scenes were repeated in many other parts of the country and some stores were forced to shut.
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