Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, chairing a new Cobra emergency meeting into the unrest, said rioters would soon face the “full force of the law”.
The prime minister told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the ongoing violence “is not a protest, it is a violent disturbance and must be treated as a criminal offence.”
The government has announced that it will create more than 500 new prison places to ensure that those involved in the violence are incarcerated. More than 400 people have been arrested so far.
Meanwhile, police sources said around 6,000 security officers would be deployed to deal with any disturbances over the next few days.
Sir Keir will chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Tuesday evening, which is due to be attended by ministers and members of law enforcement agencies.
It’s been almost a week of unrest since the stabbing deaths of three girls in Southport, with unrest continuing in towns and cities across England and parts of Northern Ireland, fuelled by online misinformation, far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment.
A police source said police were aware of at least 30 gatherings planned for Wednesday but believed the situation was “manageable.”
Police hope they are “through the worst” of the unrest but are ready to respond if the situation escalates.
Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said “prison awaits” everyone involved in the violence, while Home Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper promised the Government would support police with extra funding for officers working overtime.
She said 567 extra places would soon be available, including extra cells at Stocken Prison in Rutland and places for adult inmates at Cookham Wood juvenile detention centre in Kent.
A man who caused property damage during disturbances in Bolton, Greater Manchester, was sentenced to two months in prison on Tuesday. James Nelson, 18, is believed to be the first person to receive a prison sentence for his role in the disturbances.
Karl Davis, vice president of the Prison Governors’ Association, told the BBC that re-staffing prisons was “not an accounting gimmick”, but that the government could face staffing challenges.
But he warned that the justice system is “still suffering the effects of austerity”, adding: “It’s probably a bit unrealistic to think that we can get the justice system up and running and responding in the same way as we did during the 2011 riots”.
Following the August 2011 riots, by October 1,984 suspects had been indicted and 686 convicted.
Alexander said it “may be possible” that courts in some areas could start opening in the evenings, overnight and on weekends to ensure “speedy justice” is delivered.
Earlier, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said about 100 people had been charged of the more than 400 people arrested so far over the disturbances.
He also told the BBC that prosecutors were considering terrorism offences against some of the suspects.
More suspects appeared in court on Tuesday.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, called on people to hold “peaceful” protests that would be “10,000 times more impactful” than the unrest.
“When asked what we should do to live a good life, Jesus answered: Love God, love your neighbor, and love your enemy.”
Mr Welby told the BBC that protests are good and “fundamental” to our freedoms, but only if they are peaceful.
