As promised, I didn't just bash out a knee jerk reaction piece that so many have. looking around they tend to fall into three groups; one, the "string them up and bring back national service" response that is never normally funny except when you hear it from the mouths of terminal lefties. two, the "its all because of tuition fees and cuts to services" line from a certain political party until it was pointed out the cuts they said had caused it either hadn't happened yet or hadn't even been announced!
But the scary one is the reaction that it was the polices fault. They were too light/rough/ill-informed/too informed etc etc etc. From what I can make out the original bad feeling started when the police refused to meet a demo outside a Tottenham police station to answer question on the death of a man by police marksmen. The fact that there was an ongoing investigation meant the police could not make any comment but it was felt they could have been more responsive rather than ignoring them.
Some minor disturbances occurred that was not immediately stopped by police, possibly worried about being seen as heavy handed and uncaring.
Now this is where I'd like to offer an idea. Given that some much "anti-social" crime is ignored by the police and even when the perp does go to court its normally a slap on wrist, many people saw this as a numbers game. If everyone joined in then the police couldn't stop them. Watching footage from CCTV in Woolwich you could see the police horribly out numbered. When people realised that they could riot and there was a very good chance of getting away with it, they just did.
The spread of violence was therefore, nothing to do any political or sociological idea but simply the "teacher-less classroom effect"
Imagine if you will a classroom of any age pupils. the teacher leaves the room for some reason and after a small amount of time someone makes a noise or sound he/she knows is naughty but will make the other giggle. Most in the class find this funny because they know that its not allowed but someone did it anyway. Very quickly a few more join in and quite soon there are more doing/enjoying the naughtiness then objecting too it. In fact, those that do object are fearful and keep quiet or even join in so's not to be seen as "against" the activity.
By the Tuesday after the riots began we had four important things happening.
Firstly that police were drafted in from other areas and holidays cancelled to swell the numbers of bodies on the street to physically stop the riots.
Secondly was the rain. given that almost all riots occur when its hot, whether that's from "holiday head" when you're too hot to think strait or just it's no fun going outside when its pissing it down. Though this was only in a few areas.
Thirdly was the fact that while in the past rioters had a certain degree of backing from the public due to the reasons behind it, ie poll tax or race, this time the public had had enough. The majority were not out looting but from the coming and goings of their neighbours they knew who were and were unafraid to tell them. Communities banded together to defend shops and business's from looters by night and came out during the day to help clear up the mess.
The complaint from the public traditionally about riots is that they are too heavy handed. In the Poll tax riots of 1990, we saw people in wheelchairs and pregnant women attacked by police and scenes on TV of horses charging in made police look very aggressive and nasty. Now the complaint was that they were being too soft and people across the country cheered as police charged in like they did in the old days.
The last thing, and the thing I think most important was the announcement that magistrates were sitting 24 hours a day and that bail was being routinely refused. The idea that some one rioting could go from street to police cell to court to jail and do a 4 month stretch, all the space of 3 hours had a startling effect.
No matter how many police were on the streets the riots could have carried on. the weather only effected a few areas and crime happens all year round. Neighbours don't like you? the kind of people doing the rioting didn't give a shit and any neighbourhood protection would be the same as increased policing, nice idea, but not good enough.
I firmly believe that the riots ended because all the preconceived ideas of rioters were dashed. Gone had the attitude that they couldn't be caught, gone had the idea it takes months to go to court and likely to be dropped and gone, was the promise of a gentle slap on the wrist.
Teacher had returned to the classroom and very pissed off!
