The 76 officers - one chief inspector, three inspectors, nine sergeants and 63 PCs - arrived back at the police headquarters in Hutton at around 4.30pm today (Tuesday 16 August), having spent a week in the capital.

During their time in London, the officers were deployed in areas in and around Lambeth, Brixton and Oxford Street.

Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said: "Without a shadow of a doubt police officers have shown incredible bravery and professionalism during the disorder, including officers from here in Lancashire.

"I am extremely proud of my officers and grateful to everyone who has played a part in policing recent events. That includes the officers who have been deployed directly to the front-line in London and Manchester as well as those working to reassure local communities here.

"It also includes members of our Special Constabulary who have demonstrated once again their firm commitment to supporting their regular colleagues and to keeping communities safe. Their assistance has been invaluable, so I extend my thanks to them, along with all our other officers and staff.

"Understandably there has been some concern amongst some of our communities during this time and I would like to reassure those people that we are committed to keeping Lancashire safe. We are not complacent and should any kind of related incident occur in Lancashire, we will deal with it quickly and firmly as criminality and violence of the kind seen elsewhere will not be tolerated in the county."

Acting Chief Insp Gary Crowe, who was the public order commander whilst in London, said: "All the officers conducted themselves to the highest standard and I was proud to be down there with those officers representing the force.

"All the officers proactively engaged with the communities and we received some fantastic feedback whilst we were there. The support from the communities was overwhelming."

PC Rachel Higson, who is from the county's Eastern Division and provided mutual aid, added: "The public were very supportive whilst we were in London and were grateful to see us on the streets helping to protect them. They made us feel welcome and said that we helped to provide reassurance."

Sgt Keith Little, who is also from the county's Eastern Division, added: "Although we were carrying out reassurance work, we did pass through some areas where damage had been caused and it was disconcerting.

"We saw the famous furniture store that had been burnt down and boarded up windows with smashed bits of glass. It was strange to smell the burning buildings so fresh."

Bruce Jassi, vice-chair of Lancashire Police Authority said: "It's good to know that these officers are now back safely in Lancashire however I am glad that Lancashire Constabulary was in a position to assist Metropolitan Police colleagues through mutual aid. This proves that co-operation and collaboration between forces protects the public both in London and elsewhere."

John O'Reilly, Chairman of the Police Federation for Lancashire Constabulary, added: "It is good to see our officers return to county.

"This is yet another occurrence which highlights how brave and flexible our officers are in being deployed to different situations. They will now be allowed a rest period before returning to normal duties."

Photo - Chief Constable Steve Finnigan (front middle right) and Acting Chief Insp Gary Crowe (middle front) with the officers who provided mutual aid.