1985 Handsworth riots 1500 police officers drafted into the area, about 45 shops looted and burnt, and a trail of damage running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. As well as racial tension, unemployment was seen as a major factor in the riots; by the time of the riots, fewer than 5% of the black population to have left school that summer had found employment. The riots were the first of a series of similar riots across the country during the autumn of 1985, notably the Broadwater Farm riot in London which also resulted in a fatality (the murder of policeman Keith Blakelock).
Timeline of the 2011 England riots and an estimated £100m of damage recorded in 93 shops and other premises. Timeline of the 2011 England riots In early August 2011, England was struck by riots, the worst in the country in decades. The timeline of the events of the riots spanned from 6–10 August. On 6 August, an initially peaceful protest was held, beginning at Broadwater Farm and finishing at Tottenham police station. The protest was organised by friends and relatives of Mark Duggan (who was killed by police on 4 August 2011), to assert a perceived unmet need for justice for the family. The rioting occurred