Grinning asylum seekers taunted police trying to break up the ugly rabble who turned central Cologne into a lawless 'open toilet' – by telling them to be 'nice' - because they’d been invited by Angela Merkel.

The sex mob of migrant Arab and North African men tore up their temporary residence permits and threw them at officers who battled through New Year’s Eve to regain control of the streets, which were covered in faeces and vomit.

Outside the city's historic cathedral, where the 1,000 ‘drunk and stoned’ migrants sexually assaulted and robbed 100 women declared: 'You can't do anything to me – I will get myself a new one in the morning.'

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Taunted: Police have revealed how the violent crowd, which was 'mainly' made up of migrants, openly mocked them as they tried to regain control of Cologne city centre in the run up to midnight on New Year's Eve

Entitled: As groups of men carried out sex attacks on women, others ripped up their temporary residence permits, telling police they could do nothing as they would simply get another one in the morning

Another told them: ‘I am Syrian, I must be handled in a friendly manner. Mrs. Merkel invited me here!’

Amid the chaos, the crowd mocked officers - who were attacked with fireworks and bottles as they tried to get control of the violent crowd.

One officer told German newspaper Bild that the migrants, one million of whom Germany welcomed last year with open arms, offering a safe, new home, said he hadn't seen anything like it in almost 30 years with the force.

'The very high number of migrants was striking,' he said. 'The forces met a level disrespect, I have not seen in 29 years of service.'

Yet president of the Cologne Police Wolfgang Albers and Cologne mayor Henriette Reker have said there is no reason to believe those behind the New Year's Eve sex attacks were refugees.

The women were assaulted, with at least one raped, during the chaotic scenes outside the city's central train station in the lead up to midnight.

The denial has thrown those who worked on the streets.

One officer told Cologne's Express newspaper: 'We arrested 15 people. These people have been in Germany for only a few days or weeks.

'Of these 15 people 14 are from Syria and one from Afghanistan.

'This is the truth even if it hurts.'

He added: 'I had young women standing next to me crying because they no longer had any underwear after the mob had spat them out.

Derision: Another migrant in the mob told officers to be nice to Syrians 'because Mrs Merkel invited us'

Shocking: One officer said it was the worst level of disrespect he had seen in a 30-year career

'These scenes shocked me and we have to deal with it.

'First Aid staff and doctors working that night have confirmed that asylum seekers were among the mob.'

An internal police report detailed how members of the sex mob had ripped up their temporary residency papers in front of officers 'with a smile on their faces', Bild reported.

I am Syrian, I must be handled in a friendly manner. Mrs Merkel invited me here! Syrian refugee

The report stated that officers began receiving reports of women being attacked in the city's historic centre at 10.45pm.

It said: 'People came up to us to report that they had been attacked before we could even park the car.

'When we pulled up the mob attacked us [police officers] with fireworks.

'There were more than 1,000 people from mostly immigrant backgrounds.

'They were throwing fireworks and bottles into the crowd.

'People came to us to report that they had witnessed beatings, robberies and sexual assaults against women.

Horrfiying: One victim, an 18-year-old named Michelle (pictured, in the square outside the main train station where she was attacked) described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings as they fled. Police officers said women had to run a 'gauntlet' to escape

Out of bounds: They were forced to disperse the crowd, but were unable to make arrests because of the sheer numbers who had gathered near the cathedral and train station

'Officer recognised immediately that they needed to take urgent action. But the mob continued to throw fireworks and bottles even though tried to intervene.

I had young women standing next to me crying because they no longer had any underwear after the mob had spat them out. Unnamed police officer

'Women had the run the gauntlet through the drunken mob.

'Officers feared that there was a risk of serious injury or death due to the use of fireworks so after consulting with superiors they decided to try to clear the area.'

The authorities began to clear the crowd at 11.30pm, but it would take another 45 minutes to finally disperse the rabble, who were 'drunk and had been smoking cannabis'.

'Beatings and theft continued around the area after officers had dispersed the crowd,' the report continued.

'Shocked and crying women and girls came to the officers to report they had been sexually assaulted by groups of men from an immigrant background.

'Identification of the perpetrators was not possible because of the size of the crowd. So we decided to disperse the crowd to prevent further assaults.'

All officers could do was clear the area, according to the report, with the huge number of suspects making it impossible to make arrests.

The mob then ran into the station, across the railway lines to reach the already overcrowded platforms.

'People were vomiting and urinating throughout the train station. People were also collapsed unconscious.'

MailOnline is awaiting a statement from the Cologne Police press office.

Anger: The beat bobbies who dealt with the mobs have rubbished police chief and council claims that the mob was not made up of asylum seekers, saying they saw mainly migrants on New Year's Eve

'KEEP A GOOD DISTANCE FROM STRANGERS': COLOGNE MAYOR'S ADVICE ON HOW TO KEEP SAFE FOLLOWING MOB SEX ATTACKS SPARK OUTRAGE Cologne's mayor Henriette Reker sparked outrage by suggesting women shoulod prevent sex attacks by keeping men at an 'arm's length' Failing to calm the fears of women in Cologne, Reker said: 'It is always possible to keep a certain distance that is longer than an arm's length,'need to be 'better prepared' for such incidents. Speaking on live TV, she said women should be 'more protected in the future so these things don't happen again', Breitbart reported. 'This means they should go out and have fun, but they need to be better prepared.' Reker said new guidelines would be published online containing 'the basics', like 'for example that women should keep a good distance from strangers and also stay away from large groups of men'. The mayor was mocked on Twitter under the hashtage #eineArmlange. Advertisement

Chancellor Merkel said yesterday that Germany must now have a 'fundamental' debate about how to integrate newcomers.

Many people have blamed her for encouraging migrants to come to Europe with her announcement in August that she would ignore EU rules and give asylum to all Syrians.

Germany's justice minister Heiko Maas said yesterday that if asylum seekers are found to have taken part in sex attacks, 'deportations would certainly be conceivable'.