What we are seeing is mindless vandalism, spreading first within London, and now in other cities, with no regard at all for the safety of other people.
Violence, arson and looting can never be justified. The actions by rioters are endangering people’s lives. It’s sheer luck that no one has died so far.
The priority of the police has to be to protect the public in their own homes and businesses.
The vast majority of young people have nothing to do with this. But we do need to look at why the perpetrators of this violence are so alienated from society.
This is about young people who deeply feel that they do not have a stake in society, some of whom were already engaged in criminal activity.
Just as we have projects that engage with extremists to draw them back into mainstream society, we need to re-engage with alienated young people in a variety of ways, such as creating employment and training opportunities, advice, youth centres, and community services.”
Caroline Lucas MP will be returning to London, as part of the Parliamentary recall, on Thursday. Parliament’s immediate priority must be to find solutions that provide security.
In the longer-term, all parties in Parliament should work together to address youth unemployment and the alienation that young people feel today.
CHRISTINE JINKS says
It seems to me that Ms May can,t make her mind up how to handle this crimal violance. these riots should have been brought under controle by now with what ever means available within the law.
Instead of trying to examine the reasons for the behaviour of these criminals, get this all brought under controle now and talk about the reasons later , grow some GUTS Ms May or get someone else to do the job for you before lives are lost.
How would this all have been handled if it were terrorists, these rioters are terrorising the nation.
chris dawson says
3 years ago youth behaviour/crime was a topic here:
http://mayorwatch.co.uk/ross-kemp-shines-at-state-of-london-debate/20081231
Funding seems to have been an issue then, intiatives to prevent crime – throw money at them and they’ll behave, don’t and they have an excuse not to.
Hogwash, is if this were the case then the deprived youth of Southampton, Norwich, Hull etc etc would all be looting and rioting, stabing and shooting, but this isn’t the case, only a section of our society do this.
As for funding, well I dispair at just how many organisations and associations leech money in London from U.K. plc, all with knowledgeable and unquestioned experts heading them up.
Take some snapshops of the Londoners looting and then another of the Londoners turning up at Clapham Junction volunteering to clean up – without a spokesman or funding.
As for the old chesnut of having no jobs, simply look at the 1000s of economic migrants from Eastern Europe who came here and found work.
As for deprivation, well those with blackberrys and the latest must have trainers should sit through a Somalia documentary to obtain a more concise definition of ‘deprivation’…and be joined by their ‘community leaders’, project directors and general apologists.
Like an alcoholic, until we’re brave enough to accept the honest facts will we be unable to cure the ill.