Mayor backs police decision to "pull out" of Harehills violence
Questions have been raised about West Yorkshire Police's decision to take a step back from disorder
West Yorkshire's mayor has backed a police decision to withdraw from the scene of violence in Harehills, where a double decker bus was set on fire.
Tracy Brabin said officers were "enflaming" the situation by being there, but insisted they never "lost sight" of what was happening.
Police were pelted with bottles, rocks and bricks after trying to break up large crowds in the area on Thursday night.
Addressing the scenes, Ms. Brabin said the outcome "could have been so much worse", while calling for calm in the area.
Earlier, police investigating the disorder revealed they had made "several" arrests and expected to make more in the coming days.
Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said: "Responding officers were attacked and helped Children's Social Care staff withdraw to a place of safety.
"As the disorder escalated, damage was caused to vehicles and several fires set.
"We continually assessed the situation and took the decision to deploy specialist public order officers who then came under a barrage of bricks and missiles from a large group."
Mr Twiggs said a decision was made to temporarily withdraw officers when it became "evident that the police was their sole target", in order to calm tensions.
He added: "Throughout the night several arrests were made in relation to the disorder and further arrests will be made over the next few days."
A bus was set on fire and a police car was overturned as residents were warned to stay at home on Thursday night, with a large police presence and helicopters deployed to the area.
On Friday morning, four officers guarded the scene around a torched bus in Foundry Approach.
Some residents gathered to look at the damage, while a visibly emotional group of people believed to be linked to the initial incident sat on a patch of grass nearby.
Green Party councillor for Gipton and Harehills, Mothin Ali, described the scenes as "absolute mayhem" and called for the community to stay calm and come together after the incident.