POLICE chiefs are to call in experienced ex-cops as they intensify the quest to bring to justice looters who rampaged through the streets of Birmingham city centre.

Senior officers have turned to employment agencies specialising in investigators to recruit a dozen temporary staff with expertise in complex investigations to help support officers.

The decision was made as the force faced up to the sheer scale of the operation to identify and arrest the louts whose criminal behaviour brought shame on the city.

It was thought the operation, codenamed View, could be the biggest single inquiry carried out by West Midlands Police – dwarfing the probe into the riots in Lozells and Handsworth in October 2005.

Then, a small team of specialist detectives spent more than a year scouring 5,000 hours of CCTV footage – equivalent to 208 days of continuous recordings – and tracking suspects who were behind the trouble.

A number of officers from neighbouring forces have also been drafted in to help.

A force spokesman said: “As a result of the disorder, the force is undertaking three serious and complex investigations; the murder of the three men in Winson Green; the attempted murder and arson with intent to kill at the Barton Arms and Operation View, the identification and prosecution of those involved with disorder across the region.

“Our investigations will be thorough and timely.

“These are serious and impactive offences and we want to bring those responsible to justice at the earliest opportunity.

“The scale of these operations is enormous. Thousands of hours of CCTV alone has been recovered and, with more than 500 arrests, there are thousands of exhibits and files to be managed. To assist in this, we have asked our neighbouring forces for assistance through our regional aid arrangements.

“We have also secured a small number of staff on a short-term basis through a specialist agency.”

A force spokesman stressed they had not approached former officers, such as those had been forced to retire under the controversial A19 regulations.

OUR SAY: PAGE 14