The Home Secretary condemned the violence on the streets of Leeds as “audacious criminal behaviour”.
Five people were arrested after trouble broke out in the Harehills area on Thursday when officers responded to a child protection issue.
Videos posted on social media showed people crowding into the street before a bus was set on fire and a police car was overturned.
Speaking at Elland Road police station in the city, Yvette Cooper said the “brazen criminal act” should see those responsible face the “full force of the law”.
Mr Cooper said: “I have been speaking with officers from West Yorkshire Police and local community leaders about the action they are taking in response to these unacceptable scenes of disorder and crime that we witnessed last night.”
“Many of you will have seen on social media truly shocking scenes of a brazen act of criminality which is why it is so important that these individuals face the full force of the law and that is one of the issues police have been talking to me about this evening.”
Asked about the outrage among local residents over a video circulating online that appeared to show police dragging a child from a home, Mr Cooper said: “I believe what we saw last night was a scene of criminal activity with a bus being set on fire and a police car being attacked.”
“We have also seen some issues with misinformation being spread about police having to deal with complex child protection cases.”
West Yorkshire Police said officers were called to the scene at around 6pm BST on Thursday after social workers reported encountering hostility when dealing with a child protection issue.
At the scene, officers themselves came under attack as they evacuated social service workers to safety.
Police said there was “minor disruption” after the incident, and footage shared online showed a police vehicle being attacked and then overturned.
As the disturbance escalated, large crowds gathered in nearby Harehills Road and several fires were set.
Deputy Police Commissioner Pat Twiggs said officers were working “at great speed” to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
He said there would be an increased police presence in the area over the next few days and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“I would urge anyone with information about anyone involved in this disturbance to contact police,” he said.
“Equally, we will be relentless in our investigation of those responsible for the criminal activity seen in Harehills and I urge you to do the right thing and hand yourself over to police while you have the opportunity to do so.”
“I would send the same message to the parents of the young people involved in this incident to contact police immediately.”
The charred remains of the bus were left in the street on Friday morning. [BBC/Steve Jones]
Meanwhile, Leeds City Council has promised to carry out an “urgent investigation” into the incident that allegedly sparked Thursday’s unrest.
A joint statement issued on behalf of the authorities and the Romanian and Roma communities said: “The council has agreed to launch an urgent investigation into this case and to work with Romanian and Roma-led organisations, churches, the Romanian Honorary Consulate and other representatives of the family in the best interests of the family and the wider Roma community.”
They also appealed to “all communities to remain calm” to avoid a repeat of Thursday’s “tragic scenes.”
“Local people are devastated by what happened and want to ensure the horrific scenes we saw are never repeated,” the statement said.
“Actions like this will have long-lasting, harmful effects on our community.”
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