BROMLEY’S police chief says officers will “stop at nothing” to track down rioters who looted in the borough and bring them to justice.

Borough commander Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs says Bromley cops have already “kicked in more than a dozen doors” to catch the culprits, and there have been 30 arrests so far.

A total of 39 premises were burgled or damaged in the borough during the riots, including shops in East Street, Bromley, and the Nugent Shopping Park in Orpington.

Mr Griggs said: “We will stop at nothing to catch those responsible. We are going to do this for months and months to take these people down. Hopefully these people will be in fear now.”

He added: “This was totally unexpected. We could not have predicted this. We could hear it going on in Lewisham, but it has happened in Lewisham before, and we did not expect scenes like that in Bromley.

“What we had planned for was a lot of our staff going to Tottenham, so on Monday night we had quite a thin blue line protecting the borough.

“There were a dozen officers equipped with public order gear out in our town centre and, along with the night duty officers, they held the town centre.

“They did come under attack but they protected the town centre. The word on the street was that the Glades was going to get done, but it was not.

“If the officers had not been there protecting the top end of the High Street, I’m sure the Glades would have been done.

“At the Nugent Centre there were cars parking up in Cray Avenue, just waiting to steal.”

Mr Griggs says he has never been faced with a similar situation in Bromley before.

He said: “I was absolutely stunned to see that happening in my borough. I live here and I grew up here and my kids live here.”

He added: “I think its basic criminality. They have seen it on telly and just decided to join in. Why Bromley? Rich pickings.”