Blame it on the cuts

Wookster

Well I thought I'd heard it all. Ken Livingstone blaming the riots on cuts (on Newsnight).

I thought I'd heard it all but this takes the cookie.

Absolutely shameless.

Graham_Devon

Anything for a party political point.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

I'm absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at how weak the Police response has been.

Groups of criminal thugs vandalising property, looting local businesses, and then committing arson on a massive scale to cars, houses, shops, etc.

It's a miracle some innocent family hasn't died in one of those fires yet.

Long past time to bring back the water cannon, mounted police charges, and army issued with rubber bullets.

stonethrower

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I'm absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at how weak the Police response has been.

Groups of criminal thugs vandalising property, looting local businesses, and then committing arson on a massive scale to cars, houses, shops, etc.

It's a miracle some innocent family hasn't died in one of those fires yet.

Long past time to bring back the water cannon, mounted police charges, and army issued with rubber bullets.

Its not often I agree with you but this time I do.

abaxas

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I'm absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at how weak the Police response has been.

Groups of criminal thugs vandalising property, looting local businesses, and then committing arson on a massive scale to cars, houses, shops, etc.

It's a miracle some innocent family hasn't died in one of those fires yet.

Long past time to bring back the water cannon, mounted police charges, and army issued with rubber bullets.

They cant, that is terrorism. Which is an irony of the highest order.

Spartacus_Mills

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I'm absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at how weak the Police response has been.

Groups of criminal thugs vandalising property, looting local businesses, and then committing arson on a massive scale to cars, houses, shops, etc.

It's a miracle some innocent family hasn't died in one of those fires yet.

Long past time to bring back the water cannon, mounted police charges, and army issued with rubber bullets.

They may well have done. We don't know at the moment.

As for Red Ken blatantly electioneering and jumping on the bandwaggon it was great to see him put in his place by Shaun Bailey. Even Sadiq Khan, Labours Shadow Justice Secretary, was saying that this was not about cuts and no Police representative had complained to him about cuts restricting their operational power.

MacMickster

We have been moving towards this kind of incident for years.

Feral kids with no respect for authority.
Lack of discipline in schools.
Parents who don't know or care where their offspring are or what they are up to in the early hours, as long as their human rights aren't being breached.
The police regarding mere anti-social behaviour as low priority and not worth leaving their desks for.
Adults who fear that it is they who will end up being charged if they try to challenge this behaviour and nip it in the bud.

I would like to think that the parents of all of these "darlings" returning home with their looted prizes would take responsibility, but I somehow doubt it.

It has taken many years for these attitudes to develop in our society and, even if we start now, it will take even more years to eradicate them.

I feel for the people who live in and love London, but suspect that this is only the beginning.

Coming to a town or city near you.......

abaxas

MacMickster wrote: »

We have been moving towards this kind of incident for years.

Feral kids with no respect for authority.
Lack of discipline in schools.
Parents who don't know or care where their offspring are or what they are up to in the early hours, as long as their human rights aren't being breached.
The police regarding mere anti-social behaviour as low priority and not worth leaving their desks for.
Adults who fear that it is they who will end up being charged if they try to challenge this behaviour and nip it in the bud.

I would like to think that the parents of all of these "darlings" returning home with their looted prizes would take responsibility, but I somehow doubt it.

It has taken many years for these attitudes to develop in our society and, even if we start now, it will take even more years to eradicate them.

I feel for the people who live in and love London, but suspect that this is only the beginning.

Coming to a town or city near you.......

Like the feral kids in the 40's 50's 60's 70's 80s 90s 00's etc.

There are just more now as our population has increased.

Graham_Devon

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I'm absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at how weak the Police response has been.

Groups of criminal thugs vandalising property, looting local businesses, and then committing arson on a massive scale to cars, houses, shops, etc.

Unfortunately the police just cannot deal with criminal behaviour on this level.

This is behaviour we have not witnessed before. Gangs of 200, yes, 200 or more, children, the majority being 11-20 years old (so said the news as a guesstimate based on what they saw on the ground) just running absolutely riot, from one street to the next.

Was watching the news last night and youths had smashed up a residential street, but also, smashed into peoples houses, and one elderly woman was on the news having woken up to a hooded youth in her bedroom looking around for stuff.

She required two policeman herself, just to look after her before getting the care she deserves.

Only thing I did find myself asking is "where is the army". They should have been in there last night. Trouble is, like one newscaster stated "what do you do about an 11 year old child....everyones too scared to get in their way for fear of getting in trouble with the law themselves".

Police did the best they could really. But they had to react to situations as they took hold, aswell as cover the fire brigade, look after the public, AND stop the idiots as they moved from one street to the next. My feeling is, they would have quite liked water canons, which would only have set them off further.

I'm not sure anyone quite has the courage to shoot rubber bullets at children.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Graham_Devon wrote: »

what do you do about an 11 year old child....

Send in a snatch team to grab it, take it home, and arrest the parents for child neglect. Don't let them out until they pay for the damages their offspring has caused.

I'm not sure anyone quite has the courage to shoot rubber bullets at children.

Use water cannon first. The little ones will get washed away then you can shoot rubber bullets at the older lot.

wotsthat

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Only thing I did find myself asking is "where is the army". They should have been in there last night. Trouble is, like one newscaster stated "what do you do about an 11 year old child....everyones too scared to get in their way for fear of getting in trouble with the law themselves".

Police did the best they could really. But they had to react to situations as they took hold, aswell as cover the fire brigade, look after the public, AND stop the idiots as they moved from one street to the next. My feeling is, they would have quite liked water canons, which would only have set them off further.

I'm not sure anyone quite has the courage to shoot rubber bullets at children.

What the police could do with an 11 year old child is grab hold of it (check for tv and mobile phone cameras) and give it a thick ear that lasts for a week.

Then you find the parents and charge them with criminal neglect.