Police should have sought back-up from riot-trained officers sooner as the riots took hold in Croydon, an independent review has found.

The 41-page report said it was “an error of judgement” to wait 35 minutes from when the disorder started to when they asked more backup from public order trained officers.

The report was made public today after six months of research into the disorder on August 8, including a series of public meetings.

It detailed how all of Croydon’s 60 riot-trained officers had been sent elsewhere during the night of the disturbances.

It said the move was “not the best course of action” and added it was an “error of judgement” for the Met’s central command to not ask for more officers through its mutual aid scheme earlier.

The report said: “Had the police chosen a different course of action, they would have provided a greater level of policing to be available in Croydon during the course of August 8 and therefore allowed a greater level of patrols to be undertaken.

“The panel also finds that had police reinforcements been requested and obtained earlier, particularly ones that had been level 2 public order trained, the extent of the rioting in Croydon would not have been as far reaching.”

Many traders in London Road had accused the police of neglecting them to protect the town centre.

The report found there was no deliberate plan to do so but said once the cordon had put around the town centre, the lack of resources meant officers could not break their lines, effectively leaving London Road exposed.

In total 24 recommendations were made mainly focussing on the Metropolitan Police, but also encompassing the council and other agencies.

It said that “no-one expected the scale of the problems” that left Croydon one of the worst affected boroughs during the civil unrest.

The report said the Metropolitan Police should consider officer numbers in Croydon and the balance between officers and PCSOs.

Mike Fisher, leader of Croydon Council, welcomed the report and said he was pleased the community was able to give its views.

He said: “Encouraging residents, business owners and community leaders to talk about their experiences and opinions on the rioting has been a hallmark of how thorough and transparent this review has been.

“Similarly, it is important that the review has identified lessons to be learnt from the rioting.”

He added he would take some time to digest the recommendations and called an extraordinary general meeting for March 19 to discuss them.

Opposition leader Tony Newman said he thought the review was well balanced but it was important to see how the recommendations are realised.

He added: “There cannot be a next time.

“The real test will be in terms of getting investment in Croydon both in terms of London Road and that Croydon gets the police force numbers it deserves.”